Be Careful What You Wish For
by Tsuki Ai
Summary: I was only buying groceries when I suddenly found myself carrying around this so-called "magical" book. Yeah, right. There's no such thing as magic. So to prove my point, I made a wish. Unfortunately I got exactly what I wanted... OC x **HIATUS**
1. Chapter 1: Genesis

**A/N:** This is my first Naruto story so I'm hoping I did okay! This is dedicated to my friend Abby! If you see text like _**this**_ it means it thoughts! If you see text like _this_ then that means a flashback. Of course, regular text is just the story itself!

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Naruto or Abby, obviously! The only thing I own is the idea for this story!

* * *

**Genesis**

Light shined on my eyelids and I scrunched up my face before I blinked my eyes a few times to adjust to the sudden light. I used my right forearm to rub the sleep away from my eyes and inhaled a deep breath as I listened to the birds chirping outside my window. I groggily sat up and the blanket that was promptly wrapped around me loosened and fell off my chest. I threw the blanket off the rest of my body and slowly crawled out of bed. Walking up to the window, I blinked again furiously once I opened the curtain. The sky was a beautiful blue and the sunlight was extremely bright on my eyes. A few puffy White clouds glided over across the sky. I opened the latch on my window and it swung out open. I leaned out the window and closed my eyes as a gentle breeze blew my hair slightly to the left, the direction the wind was blowing. Sighing, I pulled my hair behind my ear and took in the last sight of summer. School would be starting soon and I would have to start my freshman year. It's a scary thing, there's no denying it. I'm actually extremely nervous, despite school not starting today. There are so many things to worry about when it comes to high school... _**Will I fit in with the others? Will I look weird compared to the other students? How hard will my new classes actually be?**_ I shook my head slightly and backed away from the window. Instead of worrying about it anymore, I took a deep breath and calmed myself.

"I guess now's a good a time as any other to get ready." I muttered.

I glided over to my closet and opened the sliding door roughly. I quickly skimmed through my clothing options and settled for a plain hot pink tank top with rips in the front, showing the black shirt attached underneath. Shutting the door after I grabbed my plain black converse, I dug through my dresser and pulled out plain black Capri's. I threw on my outfit and dug out my purse from my closet. Walking into the bathroom while brushing my shoulder-length Blond hair out, I hummed a random song to keep me going. I stopped humming once I reached the bathroom though, which was, conviently enough, and right next door to my bedroom. Down the hall a bit more was my parents' room. Snoring could be heard faintly so I knew that my mother had obviously worked an all-nighter again. I smiled lightly and shook my head. My mother works as a manager for a truck company. She normally works nights and sleeps during the day just because of her schedule. I headed into the bathroom but, something caught my eye on the floor.

I leaned down and picked up a piece of paper. A piece of my mother's planner... I stared at the paper for a few seconds before my eyes narrowed slightly at the name written on the paper. _Reagan, Cassandra_. _**So, my mom still uses the last name of that man, huh... **_I was very tempted to crumple up the paper and throw it into our bonfire pit in the backyard but I ignored it and merely let the paper flutter back to the ground. Turning away, I walked into the bathroom, only to stop a second time though. This time I stopped, not because of something catching my eye, but something catching my ear. I glanced to my right and noticed my mother standing the doorway.

"Good morning, honey... You're up quite early." My mother said with a full smile, showing just how much she really has aged over the years.

"I could say the same thing for you, mom." I replied quietly.

She laughed lightly, "Yes, well, I thought I heard something so I came to check, but it was only you so I think I might just stay up now that I know you're up too."

"There's no need to stay up, I'm leaving in a few minutes anyway."

"Oh! Where are you headed then? If it's not too much trouble do you think you could stop by the market down the street? I need some food materials for dinner tonight and since you're already going out..." She left the sentence hanging in a suggestive manner.

"I'm already on it, mom. That's where I was going before you woke up."

"Thanks, honey, I really appreciate it," She said, smiling yet again.

"Yeah, whatever, now go back to sleep." I said coldly.

She didn't look surprised in the least towards my attitude. Instead she nodded once with that smile still on her face. She quietly closed the door and I walked into the bathroom, finishing getting ready. Looking into the mirror, I separated my hair down the middle and wrapped my short hair into two separate low pig-tails, using rubber bands. The pig-tails hung just over the front of my shoulders, just as I adjusted them to do. I chanced a look in the mirror and, even though I expected it, I still was surprised to see my deep, ocean Blue eyes looking dully back at me. There didn't seem to be any light in them what-so-ever. Ignoring the lifeless look that inhabited my eyes now, I walked down the stairs in a hurry. Making sure I still had enough money on me, I shut the front door behind me and jogged down the few stairs that led to our front porch. As soon as I was out of range of my house I took off running towards the shop, eager to get away from the house.

I slowed down once I was in front of the market and pushed open the door, listening to the ringing of the bell to indicate there was a customer. No doubt, I wanted to stay as far away as possible from that house but I wanted to get the grocery shopping done even faster so I could go home and read my favorite manga, _Naruto_. I gathered all the ingredients we needed easily. The bonus to having a photographic memory is that I never need a list when I go shopping. All I need to do is look over the list once and it's stuck in my head. After I finished gathering all the foods I unloaded them to be scanned and weighed for prices. It didn't cost much since this was just a small marketplace. The bell rang once again as I exited the shop. I continued down the street to my house until I noticed something... different. I jogged across the deserted street and furrowed my brows. A new shop, now..? But, there were no construction signs or anything... For a new store added in, this store looks pretty old, too... I shrugged my shoulders and pushed open the door to the run-down looking building.

I had to blink my eyes a few times to adjust to the darkness of the store. Walking in blindly I bumped into a shelf a shower of dust fell onto my head. I coughed and tried to wave away the dust, but it was only making it spread. After the dust faded away, I got a better look at my surroundings. There were about ten different bookshelves arranged in random places. Books were scattered on the floor, atop of tables with outdated tablecloths, and they were stacked high in the bookshelves. I ventured in deeper and cringed when I got too close to a bookshelf that contained nothing but jars with floating human parts in them. I backed up and my eyes instantly widened when I bumped into something soft but firm.

"Welcome, my dear, to my shop." A deep, raspy voice said behind me.

I jerked away from the unknown person with a shriek. My heart was pounding and I put my hand over my chest in an attempt to calm its beating. Standing there before me was a man who looked to be in his late sixties. Wrinkles adorned his face along with a few scars here and there. His face also showed signs of just being recently shaved. Underneath a black bowler hat he wore, White hair frizzed out. His Black eyes, however, gleamed with a sinister aura. He held onto a cane in his left hand as if it were the world to him and I couldn't quite make out his clothes, considering the fact he had on a long black cloak the covered his whole body all the way down to his wrists. His nails were sharpened to a point, which made me think he was even creepier.

"Can I interest you anything, my dear?" He said, smiling to show me his yellow and decayed teeth.

"N-no thanks, sir. I came into here by accident so I'll just be leaving now." I said, whipping around, ready to make a run for the door.

"Nonsense, dear. There must be something that you want. Whatever it is, I can help you." He said, stopping me in the middle of my escape by using his cane on my shoulder to hold me back.

_**Anything...that I want?**_ I found it very hard to believe that this old man could help me with what I wanted. However..it was a very tempting offer. _**What if he really can help me? If he has the power to help me then I can... I can finally find that bastard... The one who abandoned mother and I...**_ I glanced back at him to see the old man smiling in that same creepy way as when I first walked in. He took this opportunity to take his cane off my shoulder and walk into the back of his shop. I waited and he returned swiftly, a black leather-bound book in his right hand. He placed the book into my hand that didn't have the grocery bags and showed me the way out.

**.:. Time Skip .:.**

I shut the door quietly behind me. I numbly set the grocery bags onto the kitchen counter and put away the items that needed to be refrigerated. Suddenly, there was a loud crash noise. I twitched slightly and instantly my whole body kicked into gear. The noise came from upstairs!

"Mom..." I uttered quietly, fearing the worst already.

I ran up the stairs, taking two at a time. Throwing open the door, I called out to my mother. I didn't get a response but I knew something was wrong. The only other place she could be is the master bathroom! I jumped over the bed and grabbed the knob of the bathroom door. I jiggled it but, it wouldn't budge. I banged on the door and pressed my ear against the door to hear a muffled groan. My eyes widened and I took about three steps from the door. I ran and kicked the door, crashing it open and nearly taking it off its hinges. Immediately I was hit with a strong scent of blood. I plugged my nose with my hand and felt like time had stopped. My heart race increased and water sprang to my eyes. There, on the side of the tub was my mother, wrapped clad only in a towel. The towel, however, was dripping with blood and it was changing to a darker Red color. Both of my hands shot to cover my mouth, which was opened wide in a gape. The water was changing slightly in color. My mom was doubled over in pain and had her arms wrapped around her stomach. She was covered in blood everywhere and I stood in shock before I finally took action.

"Mom!" I yelled, running over to her side and trying to help her up with tears blurring my vision.

"Abby, is that you?" She questioned uncertainly.

"Hang on, I'm calling an ambulance!"

It took less than ten minutes for the ambulance to arrive and take her and me off to the nearest hospital.

**.:. Time Skip .:.**

I don't know why I did it, but I ended up grabbing the leather-bound book given to me by the old man.

_The old man escorted me to the door and was talking to me, but I wasn't really listening. I was staring at the book which, oddly enough, didn't have a title on the front or the back. It didn't even show the author's name on it! He had his arm on my shoulder, but suddenly stopped me. I turned to look at him for the first time since he had started to escort me out._

_"You know, that book truly is magical. It can grant any wish that you want, no matter what it is. The instructions for the ritual are inside at the beginning. You don't have to chant anything you just have to follow the instructions and it will work its magic. This book will give you what your heart desires most... However, I should warn you fairly. You should be careful what you wish for." He muttered the last part so much so that I almost didn't catch what he said._

_I merely nodded my head and exited the shop quickly._

"A book that can grant any wish?" I mumbled, gazing at the book with a new perspective.

**_The question is: what do I want to wish for now?_**

* * *

Yeah, this is the first chapter re-posted! Review and you'll get a delicious virtual cookie! :)


	2. Chapter 2: Witchcraft

**A/N:** I know this chapter is kinda rushed and I apologize for that. I normally don't put so many time skips in! Anyways, hope you like it! Oh, and special thanks to XSweetXSourXSoulX for the review! -Tosses virtual cookie- :D

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Naruto, Abby, or Alex! The only thing I own is the idea for this story!

* * *

**Witchcraft**

I bit my lip, an old nervous habit that I'd never been able to break and continued to stare at the book. _**If I were to use this book, would any wish I wanted truly come true? Or had the old man just been lying to me? What if his age just caught up with him and he lost his mind?**_ I wanted to believe that last theory the most. It seemed to be the most logical to me anyways. _**After all, there's no such thing as a book that grants wishes! Ridiculous!**_ I began to fume silently. That old man was probably just messing with my head and is having a good laugh at me now that I'm gone! _**Stupid old, creepy geezer!**_ My anger subsided immediately, however, when a doctor walked in my direction.

She looked to be about thirty, maybe older. She wore a pair of square-rimmed glasses so it probably meant she was indeed younger, but trying to look more mature for her job. Her brown hair was tied up into a tight bun and her eyes had dark circles under them. **_Looks like my mom isn't the only one who works all-nighters..._** My train of thought suddenly skipped a beat and all humor I might've had in my thoughts previously faded away. _**Mom... I hope whatever this doctor's coming to tell me is going to be good news...**_ She came closer and I noticed she held a clipboard in her hand. From the amount of papers on the clipboard I could tell this was more serious than I had thought...

"Are you," She glanced at the clipboard, "Cassandra Reagan's daughter? Abby Reagan?"

"Y-yeah..." I muttered, still nervous at the amount of papers stacked up.

She knelt down in front of my chair so we could have eye contact, "Listen, you know that all people eventually..go away, right? Well, here's the thing, you see... Uh, your mother, well..."

I narrowed my eyes and felt a strong urge to slap this woman with her own clipboard. _**Of course I know people die! Exactly how old does she think I am? I may be short, but I'm not so short as to where I'd pass off as a little kid who needed explaining to!**_ I set the book aside and stood up abruptly, making the doctor nearly fall backwards.

"Listen Lady, I don't know how old you think I am, but I'm not as young as you seem to think. To be honest, I don't care what you think of my age right now because the only thing I want to hear about is my mother's condition!" I said hotly.

She blinked in shock before standing up right from her crouch, "I do apologize, I thought you were younger. It was my mistake. Although, now that I know you're older I suppose this makes it easier. Your mother's condition, well, I'll be blunt, it's not all that good. According to our data this isn't some new disease or anything. She's obviously had this for a while. She-"

"Just spit it out! What does she have? Is it life-threatening? Is it possible for her to go home tonight? If she can't how long will she have to be stuck in this hospital?" I snapped.

She looked at me for a moment, pity seen in her eyes, "I'm afraid your mother has esophageal cancer, Ms. Reagan."

"Esophageal cancer?" I said, freezing after hearing the word 'cancer'.

"Yes, we found it quite hard to believe as well. This is actually very rare... Esophageal cancer is mainly found in men over the age of fifty, but for some reason it seems your mother has this disease... There is the possibility that smoking and drinking has lead to this disease... However, whatever she has could be something else. We can't confirm it until we have you answer a few questions." She said slowly, letting me suck in this new terrifying news.

**.:. Time Skip .:.**

"Thank you for your cooperation, we're going to run a PET scan and probably a Chest MRI. After all this information you've given us it is safe to assume that she has Esophageal Cancer. It's become very obvious, however, that whatever pain or lack of breathing she's been feeling she's been hiding from you quite well... Although, I apologize - this must be hard for you to accept. I'll have to ask you for your forgiveness, though. Visiting hours have passed and I'm afraid it's time for you to go home. You may come visit her again tomorrow. Goodnight." The doctor said, bowing slightly and walking away, leaving me to stand in the deserted halls of the hospital.

I didn't stop her or argue. I didn't have nearly enough energy left in me to do either. I ignored the fact that I didn't actually have a ride home and calmly left the hospital. _**Mother's got..Esophageal cancer? How is this possible? Every time I see her she's always smiling... I've never seen her having any trouble breathing. I've never seen her cough up blood. She never complained about heartburn!**_ As I walked farther away from the hospital my thoughts only began to buzz more. _**I never noticed any weight loss! Wait...**_ I froze and my eyes widened slightly, shocked by my own thoughts. _**My mother was sick and was dying from cancer and I... Didn't recognize any of the signs? What..does that say about me? Not as a person, but as her daughter!**_ My eyes only widened more, but this time clear liquid followed. I clenched my fists and shook like a leaf standing on the sidewalk. Tears dripped down my cheeks in a heavy flow. _**She's been hiding this disease from me for who knows how long? I never noticed anything was wrong at all! I was so absorbed in my own life that I never took my mother's health into account! How... How...**_

"Selfish." I said quietly, looking up at the pitch Black sky and letting the tears roll.

**.:. Time Skip .:.**

I pushed the door open after unlocking it. I shut it silently behind me and rested my forehead against the door. The numbers on the cable box flashed bright Red. 4:27 a.m. It had taken me a whole hour and a half to walk from the hospital. Locking the door, I threw my spare keys onto the living room table and slowly walked up the stairs. Blood no longer filled the air; a group of volunteers from around our neighborhood decided to clean up the mess. _**They must've felt bad for my mother; after all she does take daily activities in the community... **_The door to my bedroom was still closed, however. I pushed it open and changed as fast as my tired body could into my pajamas. Flopping down onto my bed, I set my alarm clock for an appropriate time. _**Just because mom's in the hospital doesn't mean I shouldn't go to my first day of school. Mother would be really disappointed if I missed my first day of high school...**_ With the desire to see my mother in the hospital tomorrow I drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

**.:. Time Skip .:.**

The alarm clock beeped loudly in my ear and I silently hit the off button. Morning came a lot faster than I had hoped... My whole body was sore and aching. Sleep seemed to elude me all night long, and when I did finally get some sleep it was filled with flashes of blood and the sound of ambulances ringing in the distance. I pulled myself and yawned, but started getting ready for school mindlessly. Today, I opted for wearing a pair of dark-washed Blue Capri's and a plain Black tank-top. My _Naruto_ shirt was begging to be worn, but I just didn't feel like 'dressing up' or anything. My backpack was all ready, leaning against the wall underneath my window. My mother had gotten it all fixed together in the hype of me getting the opportunity to go to high school that she never had. Throwing my backpack over my shoulder I quickly left my room. Downstairs, I yanked on my Black converse and left the house right away, unable to stay in my house longer than necessary. I kept my head down for most of the walk and periodically checked my watch. I stopped walking when I heard the sound of people chatting and car engines. Looking up I felt myself shrink at the sight of the school.

Swallowing my nerves, I briskly walked forward and kept my head down, hoping that I wouldn't get in anyone's way. That plan went down the drain as soon as I stepped a foot onto the property of the school. A car came swerving at a dangerous speed and nearly ran me over, had I not jumped out of the way. Loud cursing could be heard from inside the car. The car backed up and parked into the nearest spot to me. The door was roughly pushed open and a girl climbed out. She had long black hair that went down to her backside. Her bangs were long enough to frame her heart-shaped face. Streaks of Pink were dyed into her bangs. Her style was definitely similar to mine. She looked like the typical 'punk'. Her Hazel eyes looked like they were glowing. Her face was extremely pale, just like mine. She cursed again and yanked a bag out of the backseat of her beat-down car. _**Why am I not surprised? Looks like she's gotten into her fair share of car crashes...**_ I rolled my eyes and was about to walk away until she called out to me. _**How I would love to just disappear right now. Where are Zetsu's abilities when I need them most?**_ I cringed and turned to face her. She walked up to me and said something completely unexpected, considering her tough look.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't see you! You're so pale and short I almost didn't notice you. Oh! Wait! I don't mean to insult you, I'm sorry! I..uh, never mind. Can we just start over? My name is Alexis Munroe! You can call me Alex, though! I'm sixteen and I'm a sophomore! It's nice to meet you, uh..." She trailed off, leaving me to finish the sentence.

"Abby Reagan." I muttered, still unable to shake off the shock of her attitude.

"Okay, Abby! It's nice to meet you!" She shook my hand furiously, "Let's be friends, okay? I can tell from your terrified gaze that you're probably a freshman. Don't worry though, if you stick with me I'll show you around and kick anyone's ass who dares trying to mess with you! Y'know I have this strong feeling we're going to be great friends!"

I could only blink and stare at her, though. _**Wow... I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover... She's definitely something else, though.**_ A small smile cracked and I couldn't help letting out a chuckle as she rambled on and pointed to all sorts of things to show me, whether they were school-related or not. _**She's really energetic, despite it being early morning.**_ She suddenly jumped up and the next thing I know is being dragged across the parking lot. The parking lot was practically empty, save for the few kids who were obviously intent on skipping their first day. I finally realized that the bell had already rung and we were late for class! Alex let go of my arm and ran ahead while I stopped to look at the school banner. _**Mom... I'm finally here. Don't worry, I'll make you proud and I'll try to stay out of trouble.**_ With new determination, I ran after Alex and entered the school.

**.:. Time Skip .:.**

My first day of school passed by in a blur. I had Biology A first hour, American History second hour, Algebra A third hour, Lunch, Health 4th hour, and finally Language Arts B fifth hour. Alex had about two classes and lunch with me; apparently she failed Algebra and Language Arts. However, I managed to live through my first three classes, but it was lunch that brought along problems with it. Alex and I entered the cafeteria, scanning the area for a place to sit. We found a table and we agreed that I would be the one to go buy our lunches while she saved me a spot. I waited in line, paid for our food, and was heading back when I got a really bad feeling. I was right on the money. A group of girls had circled around our table, talking extremely loud. They were yelling at Alex for some reason. I narrowed my eyes and let my anger take over. Briskly walking over, I tapped the shoulder of the girl whom I pegged to be the leader.

"What do you want? Can't you see we're busy-"

I didn't give her the chance to finish her sentence; I splashed all my soda I had just bought right into her face. Her platinum Blonde hair was drenched and looked like a wet mop. Her make-up was streaming down her face and her expression was frozen in shock. She finally wiped away her eye make-up with her hands and glared at me. I stared back at her with a half-lidded stare. The whole lunch room was in silence. Everyone was looking at us now like we were an interesting soap opera. Without a second to spare, she shoved me full-force and I fell to the ground in surprise.

"You don't have a clue who you just started a fight with, freshman," She said in a nasally voice.

She snapped her fingers and I was bombarded with hits, smacks, and scratches from all different directions. Her pack of friends had started attacking me. I was never one for fighting, so the best thing I could do was cover my head and hope Alex would hurry up and step in to beat these girls up to protect as I had just done for her. The beating continued though. I glanced at Alex and couldn't believe my eyes. She was rooted to the cafeteria seat and hadn't moved an inch! _**She.. isn't going to do anything to help? Why isn't she helping me? She said she would stick up for me! I just tried protecting her, so why isn't she helping me?**_ Our eyes met and she looked away, guilt visible in her eyes. That was all it took to make me realize she wasn't going to help me. _**So..she's going to lie to me too now? She… She never planned on helping me! She's just a coward!**_ Anger built up inside me and I used this sudden adrenaline rush to punch all the girls who were unfortunate enough to be within range and scrambled to my feet. I took off and slammed open the cafeteria doors, leaving behind the one person I thought was my friend.

I ignored all the bewildered looks I earned as I ran past the other students. Kicking the entrance door open, I rubbed my eyes to try and stop the flow of tears that were starting. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me and made it home in record time. Screaming seemed like a really good option right now. _**Why is everything going wrong? What have I done to deserve this? What have I done to deserve a sickly mother? What have I done to deserve a person like that to be my friend? What have I done to deserve a father who doesn't even care about his family?**_ All my pent up anger and frustration hit me at once. I choked on the very air I breathed.

Absorbed in my anger, I grabbed the leather-bound book given to me from the creepy old man and flipped through the first few pages, trying to find the instructions. I set the book down and gathered the few materials required. Taking the stairs two at a time, I carried the items and the book. I followed the instructions thoroughly and sat in the middle of the star-shaped figure I had made out of powder, one of the few ingredients. At each one of the star's points a candle was lit and this was my only guide for light. I clasped my hands together and held them over my heart. _**The thing I desire most... What do I desire most?**_ Flashbacks of my father, my newly-found "friend", and my mother lying in her own blood came to me. _**What I want most is... What I want is... Freedom. To not worry about these things... I want freedom! I want a new life where I don't have to worry about untrustworthy friends, betraying fathers, or sickly mothers holding me down!**_

A sudden surge of power flowed through me and burned my veins. I could feel my blood bubbling and my heart started beating erratically. I yelled out pain, but no one heard me. I opened my eyes to see a billowing Black cloud surrounding me and swallowing me whole. I tried to scream again but my own voice was drowned out by the sound of lightning crackling in my ears. This cloud of darkness was the last thing I seen before I blacked out, falling on my back. The impact of my limp body falling to the ground, however, sealed my fate. The sudden impact shook the flimsy dresser next to me and caused a book to fall onto the star-shaped design on the ground. The Black cloud swallowed up the book along with my body. Little did I know that this simple mistake would change my life forever, for good or for worse, I wouldn't find out until it was too late.

* * *

Yeah, right now Abby seems selfish but she'll get better I promise! Oh, and the characters finally come in next chapter! Review and you'll get to see who she meets first sooner! ^.^


	3. Chapter 3: Konoha

**A/N:** This story is in Abby's P. O. V. for those of you who are confused, by the way! The Naruto characters are finally coming in! I'm actually pretty psyched about writing them. Let me know if they seem OOC, though. _ Oh and there's a minor spoiler in this chapter that involves Itachi. I'll put a warning in bold, just in case you want to skip the line. In any case, enjoy!

**Special Thanks: **To XSweetXSourXSoulX for the review and for adding my story to your Favorite's List, & to Natal and Kakashi-Gaara's Wolf Babe for adding my story to your Story Alert List! I appreciate the support!

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT own Naruto or Abby, obviously! The only thing I own is the idea for this story!

* * *

**Konoha**

_**Where am I? What's going on? How come it's so dark? Why can't I move?**_ All the power I recently felt had faded and now all that was left was darkness and nothingness. It felt like I was floating in mid-air even though I couldn't see anything but a Black abyss. **_How _**_**do I get out of this mess?**_ I never got the chance to try and find my way out because in the next second I was jerked down. I let out a yelp of surprise. Everything came flying at me all at once. I could feel myself being yanked downwards and I could practically hear the wind rushing past me as I was dragged farther down. The blackness _whoosh_ed past me and the rest was missed in a blink of an eye.

"Ack!" I coughed furiously, clutching at my stomach from the sudden impact I felt my back take as I crashed into something hard.

I coughed more and took a deep breath to calm myself. My stomach finally stopped hurting and my coughing had ceased. _Chirp. Chirp. Chirp._ _**Ah, that's a nice, peaceful sound... Wait, a peaceful sound?**_ My eyes shot open and I nearly blinded myself. Sunlight shone right on my eyes and underneath me, instead of muddy grass that should have been there, I felt soft, warm grass. It was beautifully Green and was almost unrealistic. A gentle breeze kicked up some grass towards my face. I caught a piece and it definitely felt real. _**This place is so beautiful... It seems too good to be true, though.**_ I sat up and glanced around. _**Nothing suspicious... I suppose its okay to go look around a bit to find out where I'm at.**_ I stood up and intended to walk, but apparently my legs had other plans. I stumbled forward after taking merely two steps.

"What the..."

I glanced towards my feet and my heart nearly stopped. Right at my feet was the leather-bound book given to me by the old shopkeeper. I sat up right and grabbed the book, willing it with my mind not to be real. I opened the book and flipped past the instructions. My eyes widened instantly. _**There's a completely new page!**_ I skimmed the page and yelped loudly. _**The page... Th-there's words on them! Words that are appearing before my eyes!**_ It was true. The page was once blank but now there were words being carved into the page. I squinted my eyes and tried to read the writing but it didn't do any good. The text was clearly in a different language of some sort. _**Well, I suppose I have to keep this thing... At least until I get home.**_ I closed the book and held it in one of my hands tightly by the binding.

I stood up all the way, after making sure to stretch my legs real good so I wouldn't fall again. I walked off in the direction the wind was blowing and made sure to keep an eye on my surroundings. The next thing that happened, I wasn't expecting though. I took one step forward and managed to step right on a twig. It snapped in half instantly, making a loud noise. I felt a sudden rush and the next thing I know, I had about five knives in the ground, circling me. I swallowed down my saliva loudly.

"Who are you?" A deep, flat, male voice called out.

"U-um, I'm... Uh..."

"Speak louder." The voice demanded.

I didn't reply and instead focused on keeping my heart rate down to a minimum. I wiped sweat away from my brow, not even realizing that I was perspiring to begin with. My hands were shaking nervously. _**Obviously, these guys mean business. Whoever they are, they've got pretty good aim, too. To be able to throw these knives into the ground in a perfect circle around me. Not to mention I was still walking so their accuracy is better than I thought if they can make this circle without hurting me... **_

"If you won't tell us your name, at least tell us why you're coming so close to our village." A calm female voice said to me.

"I-i didn't know I was getting so close to your..." I froze on the spot.

_**Wait; did she just say their village? But, any normal person would just say city or town. Scratch that, these people obviously aren't normal, with the aim they've got! Not to mention, their voices... I can't even pin-point where they're coming from. All I know is they're coming from above my head... I can't look to check though... This is too weird. Normal people wouldn't be quite so..protective of their cities either! This all sounds oddly familiar...**_

"This is getting us nowhere, I say we take her back to the village and have her interrogated," The flat-voiced male spoke again.

_**Interrogated? What? Do they think I'm some idiot or criminal? Why the hell would I need to be interrogated? And just for getting to close to their village! ...That's it! That's why this all felt so familiar! Being overprotective of their territory. Calling their city a village. Having such good accuracy. This couldn't be... Maybe, I should just check...**_ My eyes roamed the ground to the knife. My eyes widened like dinner plates. _**That isn't a knife! That's a kunai! There's only one place that could ever have this kind of weapon that I know of... But, there's no way I'd be there! It's a fictional place! I have to find out the truth, though... No matter how scary it may be...**_

"U-um, excuse me," I stuttered out, my voice trembling a bit.

"What do you want?" The male asked, snapping a bit in tone.

"That's enough. You're frightening her. If you keep doing that you'll never get any answers! You must be more..open!" A loud, male voice boomed.

"I agree with you, Guy-sensei!"

That answered my question for me. _**Guy-sensei? Then does that mean..? Impossible! This can't be!**_

"Are you Might Guy?" I questioned loudly, very close to panicking.

There was a sudden silence. In a split second I heard a _whoosh_ing sound and, for the second time, I was nearly blinded. _**My eyes! Ugh, he's just as bright as he is in the manga!**_ Clad in a green spandex suit, stood Guy - smiles and sparkles all!

"Yes, I am the noble Green beast of Konoha! Might Guy!" He boomed, flipping his thumb up and smiling more - his "nice guy" pose.

I blinked a few times slowly. Then rubbed my eyes really hard. I opened them and was considering ripping my hair out. _**Ugh, he's still there!**_ Another _whoosh_ing sound and Guy's three disciples landed on the ground in perfect sequence on the ground a bit away from Guy. _**Smart kids... Keeping their distance.**_ Only Lee looked like he wanted to run over and join Guy in his "nice guy" pose. I finally composed myself calmly and now, I just plain resisted the urge to do a face-palm. _**They truly do act the same from the manga.**_ I let out a breath of air I had no idea I was holding and decided that this was best. _**It's better to have run into an overly-friendly Guy than a deadly-serious ANBU member. Still, it's always good to be safer than sorry in this kind of situation.**_

"I..should apologize," I said, finally lifting my head and making sure to meet eyes with every ninja around me.

"I don't see why you should apologize, young girl! You have yet to do anything wrong!" Guy said, teeth sparkling again.

_**Someone, anyone! Make those stupid, sparkling teeth stop shining so much!**_ **(**Spoiler Warning!**)** _**I'm going to go blind faster than Itachi at this rate!**_ My prayers must have been heard, because a savior showed himself. Well, a savior with a Byakugan.

"Would you cut that out? Nobody's going to ever take you seriously like that," Neji glanced towards me, "And you say I'm the one scaring her?"

Tenten let a laugh slip past her lips, but she quickly covered her mouth after that. Neji looked off in the distance, arms folded over his chest. Lee looked about ready to defend his sensei, so I cut him off before he could start.

"As I was saying, I should apologize. I..did not mean to get too close to your village without your consent," I said, bowing a bit, knowing it was proper manners here to do so.

"There is no need for you to apologize! You must not be from around here is all! After all, you're not wearing a headband..." Rock Lee said brightly.

"Yeah..you could say that. In any case, I should introduce myself. My name is Abby Reagan and I'm fifteen years old." I said, smiling a bit.

Nobody spoke for a moment. I could tell from their looks though, they were judging me by my height. _**They probably thought I was the same age as them, if not younger.**_ I could feel anger rising in me. _**Why does everyone have to judge me just by my height? **_Tenten was the first to act.

"I'll introduce myself then, I suppose. My name is Tenten! I'm a genin, too. This is Neji," She motioned towards him, "This is Lee." She motioned towards Rock Lee, too.

Tenten certainly is calm... She was smiling. _**She must be trying to make me feel less uncomfortable.**_ Lee was gathering the kunai they had thrown previously. Guy was obviously assessing the situation at hand. _**A fifteen year old girl without any headband. To them I must look like a fool or worse...**_ Neji, the complete opposite of Tenten, was staring at me. He was glaring at me and I could tell he thought I was suspicious. _**Of course, that's only natural instincts for a ninja.**_ I looked away from Neji and glanced towards the book in my hand. Surprisingly enough, I managed to hold onto it through it all. Even more surprising, none of the others had confiscated it from me. There was more silence until it was broken by Guy.

"Alright! Let's head back to the village!" Guy said, turning and walking back towards Konoha.

Neji's eyes flashed dangerously, "I know you're not inviting _her_ along with us?"

Guy stopped and turned back towards us, "Why, yes, I am. She does not own a headband on her, and even if it was hidden I would've noticed it. It appears to me she is just a civilian, nothing more. Besides, it won't hurt to take her with us. We have to turn in our reports to the Hokage anyways. She can just tag along and when we get there the Hokage can decide what's best for her."

Neji looked like he wanted to reply back quite angrily, but he stopped and merely said, "Hmph. It's doesn't matter, I guess. After all, the Hokage's word is final. Let's just go."

Neji walked off towards the village on his own. Tenten sighed, and I could tell from the way she did that this was a normal thing for them. She followed after him. Lee chased both of them down, yelling something along the lines of 'if I don't make it back to the village in less than a minute then I'm going to run around Konoha 100 times!'. I shook my head. _**Some people really are impossible.**_ I merely shrugged and followed after Guy, whom had stayed behind so I could follow him to Konoha. I walked in a daze, my brain still having a bit of trouble comprehending all of this. Guy was, surprisingly, quiet the entire walk. He didn't even question me as to why I'm still holding onto the book. _**He must know I'm concentrating or something...**_

Five minutes later, and all I could do was stare in awe. Standing before me, and looking bigger than I could have pictured, was the gates to Konoha - wide open. Guy grinned at my expression and motioned towards the gate. He walked ahead while I was still frozen on the spot. _**This is really happening. I'm really here... Well, Konoha, here I come!**_ I swallowed any fear I had and took off after Guy.

* * *

Some shameless advertising here - please go on my profile and vote on which one-shot I should start working on! The summaries are already on my page! Please and thank you! :) Please review; save Abby from Guy's "nice guy" poses!

**Abby:** PLEASE! D:


	4. Chapter 4: New Addition

**A/N:** Well, I'm finally back and I've got access to my chapters so it's all good! Here's Chapter 4! Oh, and there's another spoiler if you haven't read through the original Naruto series. There is a Spoiler Warning in this chapter, like I'm sure there will be in a lot of the other chapters!

**Special Thanks: **XSweetXSourXSoulX, hypnotic flames, green7butterfly, and Darkness of Yami for the reviews! Thanks to hypnotic flames, green7butterfly, and Darkness of Yami for adding my story to your Favorite's List!

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT own Naruto or Abby, obviously! The only thing I own is the idea for this story!

* * *

**New Addition**

Konoha was bustling. That was a complete understatement. Many people were walking around, laughing and talking calmly. Others were sitting in shops to stop to eat. A cool breeze blew my hair out of my face as I dared to look up. I sucked in a deep breath of air when I saw the Hokage monument. _**It's so big... Much bigger than it looks in the manga or anime...**_ I was stopped dead in my tracks, staring at the mountain-side. Other villagers continued on and walked around me. A sharp bump to my shoulder dragged me from my daze.

"Oh, I'm so sorry child!" An elder woman said, patting off my shoulder and walking away in the crowd.

I blinked calmly and then something dawned on me. _**Where the hell did Guy get to?**_ I started looking around frantically, looking for any signs of a bright green jumpsuit. To my demise, I didn't see one. _**Great, the one time I actually want Guy to be around and he's nowhere to be seen... He was taking me to the Hokage's office... No doubt for sure I can get there by myself, but I can't go there by myself. Guy has probably noticed I'm missing by now. If I just show up at the Hokage's office by myself it would seem pretty suspicious because it would mean I have some knowledge of this village if I know where the Hokage is... Damn it. Looks like I'll have to go find him.**_

I sighed but took off in the general direction of the Hokage Tower. I ran past a general clothing store, but froze in my tracks. I took a few steps backwards because something had caught my eyesight. In front of the clothing store was a full length mirror. My guess it was out so customers could see how the clothes looked against their bodies. I raised a hand to touch my hair and that's when I nearly gave myself a heart attack. I held in a scream and took a few shaky steps closer to the mirror. I touched my face; just to be sure I wasn't seeing things. Sadly, I wasn't.

The person who looked back at me was definitely not the normal me. My normal blond hair was bleached beyond recognition, making it snow white. It was much longer, too. Down to the middle of my back. I never had bangs before, but here I did. The white locks of bangs framed my face. My normal crystal blue eyes had changed to an Amethyst purple color. My lashes were a bit longer, too. Something I lacked back home. The only thing that seemed the same about my face features was my pasty pale skin tone. Shockingly enough, my clothes were changed too! _**What is going on here? I suppose my features changing is considered normal, but why are my clothes different from what I had on before?**_ Instead of my dark-washed bottoms I had on a pair of black bottom Capri's that went just below my knees. A plain, sleeveless purple shirt was on over some wrappings. Although, the wrappings under my shirt were hidden, the ones from my ankles to my shins were not. I was wearing the standard ninja shoes, too. Mine were black though. I had on a black bracelet on each wrist as well. _**I guess even civilians wear ninja shoes if Guy didn't say anything about them… But what about my wrappings? Surely those couldn't pass as normal civilian clothes.**_

"What in the world is going on?" I murmured to myself, still taking in my new appearance in the mirror.

_**Why has everything about me suddenly changed? My hair, face characteristics, and clothes were all different...**_ I suddenly felt a twinge of annoyance. _**Wait a minute... Everything has changed about me so why hasn't my height changed at all? Why aren't I taller? I was already short back home! If anything, I feel like I've only gotten shorter than before! You've got to be kidding me! What a rip off!**_ Before my anger could boil over and make me fully infuriated I took a deep breath. Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the oncoming breeze for a minute before I opened my eyes again. My temper was completely gone but I still felt irritated. I shook it off and continued to walk in the general direction of the Tower. _**It really is peaceful around here...**_ That, however, didn't last too long. _**Why do my eyes suddenly feel like they're going to hurt?**_ And hurt they did. In the distance I could clearly see something bright green. _**My eyes! Augh! Even at this distance they hurt!**_ As I got closer I could hear Guy talking rather loudly.

"Have you seen a girl with long white hair and purple-like eyes?" Guy questioned a young woman, who was holding onto her child's hand.

"No, I haven't. I'm sorry! Good luck finding whoever this girl is!" She said kindly, walking away with her child tugging on her hand.

Guy wasn't fazed at all and continued to question anyone within three feet of him. _**I didn't think Guy would care so much that I'm missing... He's freaking out...**_ Although he kept his distance I could tell his voice was panicky and when he was asking villagers he seemed frantic. _**Then again... Guy chose to let me join him into the village even though he knows practically nothing about me. If any other Jonin were to find out about this no doubt he'd be in deep trouble. I guess I'll just have to go ease his worries, then.**_ I sighed and shook my head at Guy's constant questioning. I walked towards him calmly and stopped when I was standing a few inches away.

"Excuse me, young lady! I was wondering if you could help me. Have you seen a girl with-"

"Snow white hair and Amethyst colored eyes?" I finished for him, my arms crossed of my chest.

He whipped around to face me, momentarily forgetting the woman he was questioning.

"Ah, there you are! I was looking all over for you! One minute you were walking behind me and the next thing I know you're gone! If I didn't know any better I'd say you're a ninja yourself to be able to slip away so quietly!" Guy boomed.

"...Not really. Apparently I'm shorter than I care to know so that's why you lost me."

_**I didn't want to admit it, but it's true. I'm short and there's no denying it. I never thought only being five feet four could be such a pain... Now it's even worse here!**_ Guy laughed once and told me to follow after him. We continued walking towards the Tower, forgetting the whole incident ever happened. I followed after Guy silently, but making sure to make some noise to make sure he knew I was still there. _**No doubt though, there won't be a second time for me to get lost. Being alone in this village and being separated has probably made him even more suspicious of me. He probably thinks that I stopped trailing after him on purpose since I was already in the village...**_

"Alright! Let's go meet the Hokage, full speed! Lee, Neji, and Tenten are probably already waiting! Let's see what you've got, Reagan!" He said loudly while bending his knees slightly and getting into a running position.

_**Wait, did he just call me Reagan? Why would he address me by my last name only?**_ I thought for a few seconds before it finally hit me. _**Oh! When I introduced myself to them I said my name was Abby Reagan! I totally forgot! This is based off a Japanese manga so it's only natural if you address yourself with your last name first. So he probably thinks my first name is actually Reagan instead of Abby. Hmmm... I should probably correct him, but I guess it doesn't matter what he calls me.**_ I shrugged my shoulders. _**I just realized something! If this is based off the Japanese manga, then why can they understand what I'm saying? Why can I understand what they're saying? This is becoming more and more confusing! Nothing makes sense anymore!**_

"Ready? Okay! If we don't make it there in less than two minutes flat we'll both do five hundred push-ups! Right?" Guy asked, crouching a bit more and stretching his legs out fully.

I wasn't even listening to what he was saying. That was probably the stupidest thing I could've ever done. No. The stupidest thing I did was nod my head without even listening to him. The next thing I know I feel a strong gush a wind, followed by a yell that sounded something along the lines of 'better get going'! I blinked before it finally hit me. _**What did I just agree to?**_ I jumped slightly before I took off running as fast as my short legs would carry me, chasing after Guy._** Jeez, didn't he learn his lesson the last time he left me alone?**_

"We're not going to make it there fast enough if you keep running like that!" He yelled from far ahead of me.

_**...Apparently not.**_ I kept going until I finally reached my limit and caved. I stopped running and rested my palms on my knees. I was hunched over and breathing heavily. _**Wow... I'm really not that athletic. I can't even make it to the Hokage's building! I suppose there is one good point to being stuck here, besides meeting my favorite characters of course. Since I'm here maybe I can get some training of my own? Nah... I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. To them, I'm still just some suspicious stranger. I don't think there's going to be anyone willing to train me. At least, not so soon anyways.**_ I finally managed to catch my breath and stood back up straight. Blowing a piece of stray hair from my bangs out of my face, I took off jogging in the general direction Guy had taken off to. I glanced around at the area as I jogged at an easy pace.

"This place truly is peaceful... It's beautiful, too." I muttered to myself as I took in all the green scenery of Konoha.

A few minutes of jogging later and I had arrived at the Tower. Guy was there already, naturally. Without a moment to spare, Guy lead me inside the Hokage Tower and explained to me before I could even ask that Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee had already gone ahead to start explaining to the Hokage. I only nodded my head and continued climbing the stairs before we finally reached the Hokage's office. Guy knocked once and I suddenly felt tense all over. _**If the Hokage doesn't believe me, what will I do?**_ Guy opened the door and I followed closely. _**Well, I guess I'll know when it happens…**_ The Jonin himself stood firmly next to his team while I finally mustered up the courage to look at the Hokage.

He puffed smoke out of his mouth as he lifted the pipe away from his mouth, "So you're the girl these three have been telling me about?"

I could only nod mindlessly. **(**Spoiler Warning!**)** It was a shock to meet the Hokage himself, considering the fact that in the other chapters he no longer was alive. _**I probably should be more nervous than this, but for some reason I'm not. I suppose he just has that effect on people. The Third Hokage can calm people so easily.**_

"So, Reagan, can you explain to me as to how you arrived near our front gates?" The Hokage set down his pipe and focused all his attention on me.

I explained everything as best as I could. I told him how I had no memory of ever coming near Konoha and how I had just woken up in the forest. I continued on to explain how Team Guy had found me and finished as quickly as I could. I, obviously, left out the part of coming from another world completely. I gripped the book in my hands and I could see out of the corner of my eye Neji eyeing said book. However, he actually had his Byakugan activated and was obviously trying to read my book. _**It doesn't make much of a difference though… Even if he does see the writing even the Hyuga prodigy won't be able to understand what it says!**_ I inwardly smirked. Neji de-activated his Byakugan and narrowed his eyes in annoyance. _**Hmph, I'm glad you're annoyed! **_Apparently, Neji wasn't as discreet as he thought he was, because the Hokage slightly turned his head back to me, plainly letting me know he was watching Neji.

"I take it from the lack of a headband and kunai holster, that you're no ninja, correct?" I nodded and he smiled lightly, "Then how would you like to start training to be one?"

My eyes bulged slightly and I could hear Tenten and Lee gasp in surprise. _**Hell, who could blame them? I was just as shocked if not more!**_ Guy looked surprised but he quickly collected himself while Neji was fuming. Just as he was about to protest there was a knock on the door that caught all of our attention. The Third uttered a quick "come in" and leaned back in his chair. If anything, my eyes bulged more when I saw Kakashi enter the room!

"Yo. You called for me, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked lazily.

"Yes, Kakashi I want you to meet the newest addition to your soon-to-be team, Ms. Abby Reagan."

I could only stand in shock while Kakashi greeted me normally. _**What the hell is going on here?**_ That was the last thing I thought before I promptly passed out.

* * *

Please review! ^_^


	5. Chapter 5: The Voice

**A/N:**I once again apologize if the characters seem OOC! Please let me know if they do and I'll try my best to fix that! Kakashi, the disclaimer please!

**Special Thanks: **To Darkness of Yami and XSweetXSourXSoulX for the reviews! It's the reader's support that keeps me going!

**Kakashi:**–sigh- Tsuki Ai does not own Naruto or Abby…

* * *

**The Voice**

I groaned as my eyes fluttered open and light made its way to my eyes. _**My head is killing me…**_ My already pounding headache was made worse when I remembered where I was and what happened last. _**I was in the Hokage's office and he said that I would be training to become a ninja…**_ I blinked and sat up abruptly. _**Training to become a ninja! Now I remember! Ugh, not that it helps my head any!**_I rubbed my temples and tried to focus my vision better and realized that I was no longer in the Hokage Tower. I was sitting on a hospital bed, my clothes wrinkled slightly from sleep. I threw the white blanket off my legs and swung them over the edge, standing up quickly.

"What is he thinking? I've been in Konoha for only a certain amount of time and he's telling me I'm joining Kakashi's team and training to become a ninja! I have to go straighten this out. Besides…"

I knew that being with Kakashi's team would only bring trouble. Especially since trouble seemed to follow Naruto like the plague! _**I want to avoid being killed here, not thrown right into it! **_I walked to the door and slid it open, only to come face-to-face with the Hokage himself. I jumped in shock while he chuckled, sliding the door shut behind him and stood near the window.

"Um..Hokage-sama?"

He grunted in response and I took that as a sign to continue.

"Why did you decide to put me into training with Kakashi? You don't even know me and there isn't much I can tell you about myself anyways… So why?"

"One, I think you should address him as Kakashi-_sensei _and I put you with him because I believe you have potential. You may not be able to tell me much about yourself but I believe you know more than you lead on." He said his arms crossed behind his back as he continued to stare out the window.

I froze. _**How does he know I know about them? Is he really that perceptive? Where did I give myself away?**_ My thoughts were rushed as I began to shake nervously.

He glanced at me and chuckled, "You're probably wondering how I knew about you, right? Well, I didn't at first," I nearly did a famous "face fall" to the floor when he said that, "But you just gave yourself away when you tensed up at my words. That and.. Team Guy mentioned how you knew Guy's name before you even came to the village... No doubt, you could have heard about him somewhere else but it seemed highly unlikely to me."

I swallowed hard and finally fought hard to force myself to say something, anything!

"What.. is going to happen to me?" I asked nervously, biting my lip and wringing my hands as I sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

"Absolutely nothing."

I blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean no harm is going to come to you. I realize you know more than any average citizen should, but it makes no difference to me. If you wanted to hurt anyone in Konoha I'm sure you could've done it by now… Besides, for some reason I have a strong feeling you don't have any ill intent towards any of us," He smiled at me, "I picked Kakashi to train you because although you are behind any normal student's education from our academy, I know he can train you well enough so you will be caught up with the other Genin."

"Hokage-sama, what about class studies? All the other Genin have been studying for years about the basics of being a ninja… Not to mention, I don't think I even have any chakra to use in the first place!"

"Are you telling me that you know about chakra, but you don't know the main basics of the ninja arts?" He asked, and even though he looked back to the window I could hear the smile in his voice.

I blushed very lightly, "Well, yes, I suppose I do know about that…"

"As for your chakra, although you may not feel it yet, I can sense chakra inside of you. There's not much, but with the training Kakashi will provide you with you will gain more chakra. There is nothing to be concerned about, because from this day forward you are now a Konoha resident. Well, once you get the proper paperwork filled out, you will be. That can be dealt with at a later time, however."

I was frozen again. The pure strength of his words moved me. _**I'm… I'm a Konoha resident now? I will be living here from now on? This is going to become my home? **_I almost felt water build up in my eyes. The Hokage must have sensed my emotions because, without me noticing, he walked by me and gently rested his hand on my shoulder on his way out.

"Kakashi will be coming to retrieve you as soon as I leave, to show you to your temporary apartment. I have already told him of my suspicion of you knowing more than necesary, but he, like I, does not exactly know the extent of your knowledge... In any case, I hope that, however much you know you will use that information to aide Konoha."

My breath came out in a huge gust as I came to realize I was holding my breath the whole time he spoke to me on his way out. _**So he truly does know that I know too much for my own good… And yet, he trusts me so easily? I still don't understand. Why doesn't he have me locked up and put into interrogation like Neji suggested? Unless… he already plans on having ANBU trail me?**_ This thought made me suddenly glance around me, as if the ANBU were hidden in the walls. _**Either way, the Hokage has given me a huge opportunity here. He has given me so much of his trust…**_ _**Even if I do know what's going to happen, how will I be able to warn others without giving myself away? **_My thoughts started to become a jumbled mess so I laid down on the hospital bed and stared at the ceiling. _**I might as well take a nap, because knowing Kakashi, he won't be here for a while…**_ With that in my mind I drifted into a troubled sleep.

**.:. Dream State .:.**

I coughed furiously and clutched at my throat as I felt smoke fill my lungs. I was floating in complete darkness and the only thing I could see was my hand as I tried to grasp in the air, trying to grab anything that would stop me from falling into the abyss. Heat was surrounding me and I felt like I was burning in my own skin. My vision was blurry, but it suddenly got better when I noticed a ray of light in the corner of my eye. With trouble, I turned on my side and looked directly at the glare. My hands shot to my eyes, to protect them from the sudden light. I suddenly felt ice cold as I got closer to the light, like I was just thrown into pitch black water. To prove my theory, I vaguely noticed my hair began to float around me and I realized I really could have been in water for all I knew. The light got brighter and the next thing I knew, my lungs were no longer burning or filled with water. Instead, they were completely normal.

I coughed up some water and struggled to hold myself upright as I sat on my knees. Everything around me was white, I noticed as I shakily looked around. Water dripped from my hair as it stuck to me. I grabbed a stray piece from my face and pushed it back. It was then I realized that my hair was back to normal! It was back to its blond color and I would bet that my eyes had probably gone back to normal too!

"What is going on here?" I asked to no one in particular.

My voice echoed, but what I didn't expect was to get a response. A sudden cackling laugh filled the air.

"Who's there?" I demanded, standing up with difficulty.

"Who's there you ask? How stupid! I can't believe you're asking me, of all people!" The dark voice yelled back, and it was followed up by a cackling laugh.

"I'm serious, answer me!" I yelled, looking around me in a rush.

"Okay then." The voice, which I figured was male, answered in a whisper, _right behind me._

I screamed and jumped away from the direction of the voice as he cackled madly. I fell on my bottom and quickly scrambled backwards away from the voice. My eyes widened to the size of saucers when I saw shadows collecting together, forming the general shape of a man. He held no features, though. One could not even tell the color of his skin because he almost looked like an illusion. He was nothing more than a mass of collected shadows. He opened his eyes and I felt like screaming again when he opened more than just two eyes, all the color of blood. He grinned wildly and I could clearly see his sharpened teeth, similar to those of a shark.

"It's been too long, it has. You were screaming, although I don't understand why. Shouldn't you be happy? You got your wish and yet you look terrified," He grinned wider, "Although, I have been known to do that to people."

I continued to shake like a leaf and didn't offer this _thing_ any kind of answer. Until it finally hit me, he knew about my wish!

"H-how do you know about the wish I made? There's no way it could have been you who granted my wish! Y-you don't even look human! I've never seen you in my entire life, either!" I yelled, scared out of my mind.

This only caused his to chuckle, "It's true we've never actually met face-to-face, however I _am_ always with you. You think you'd be a bit more grateful to the person who granted you your wish. It's also true I _don't_ look human because I'm _not._"

"You're not human..?"

"Of course not! Do I look human to you? No, instead I am darkness!" He proclaimed, kneeling close to me until our noses nearly touched.

"Y-you're darkness? What do you mean?" I uttered, too afraid to move an inch.

"I meant exactly what I said. I am darkness. Back several hundred years ago I was what you humans call a "demon", but as the years passed and I grew stronger you humans became smarter. Finally, when I was just getting to the top of the food chain, a Priest sealed me away inside this book," My leather-bound book suddenly appeared as it grew out of his hand, "Mind you, of course, this was back when alchemy was used. However, years passed by before I was found. Somewhere in the mix, I was found by Eugene Scott." I gave him a confused, blank look and he sighed. "The old geezer in the creepy shop. Anyway, he soon realized I was no ordinary book. In fact, he was the one who awoke me from my slumber, by using human sacrifices. In exchange for my awakening, I spared his life and gave him the gift of immortality. Whether it be out of boredom or otherwise, Eugene began to loan me out to people, promising that I would grant their wishes. Grant their wishes I did,

"Of course, after I granted my "Master's" wish I took their life force and devoured them whole. This is merely routine with each new "Master" I get. However, you are going to be the one exception to this rule."

"M-me?" I squeaked, too shocked to say anything else after absorbing this "demon's" story.

"Yes, you. Normally I grant my Master's wish, no matter how selfish… For some reason though, your wish back-fired. Instead of going where I planned on sending you to get your freedom, you were sent here in a mistake on my part. I may be darkness, but I will take responsibility for my screw up… Because you ended up here, I decided to spare your life." He said, forcing the book to melt back into his shadowy skin and stood above me, hovering in the air.

_**So… I'm being spared because he screwed up? Where was he planning on sending me in the first place? Did he really live hundreds of years just off of the life force of other human beings? Is he really a demon or have I just cracked? Wait, how am I going to get back home?**_ My thoughts were rushed and grew frantic when I noticed he was slowly sinking into the ground and melting away into a puddle of Blackness.

"W-wait! How do I get back home? How come my appearance changed along with my clothes? Why can I understand what everyone here is saying? Why won't you answer any of my questions?" I finally yelled in frustration.

He grinned wildly and turned all of his three eyes to stare at me, "You'll know how to get back home eventually. Until then, why not just enjoy the ride? Don't worry, we'll be seeing each other again soon. Real soon. Oh, and the next time we meet, address me as Yami."

With that said, he finally vanished into a puddle on the ground, leaving me alone. _**What did he mean when he said I should "enjoy the ride"? What did he mean when he said we'll be seeing each other again?**_ Somehow, I couldn't decide which statement made me more uneasy.

* * *

See that little button below? Please click it. ^_^


	6. Chapter 6: Possessed

**A/N:** Yes, I know I use "I" too much but it's a bad habit! (Thanks to Getsu Nichi for pointing that out). My paragraphs are sort of long, I know, I'm working on it! (Again, thanks Getsu Nichi for pointing that out!) I'm sorry if the characters seem OOC! I'm trying my best to keep them normal!

**Special Thanks:** To DieForWhateverComes, Getsu Nichi, and Linhae for adding my story to your Favorite's List! To Linhae and Getsu Nichi for adding my story to your Story Alert List! Finally, to Linhae, Darkness of Yami, XSweetXSourXSoulX, and Getsu Nichi for the reviews! You're awesome! :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, or Abby! The story idea is the only thing I claim! When text is like _**this **_it means it's "Yami" speaking mentally. Yes, I know Yami actually means Dark in Japanese. I'm not all that good with names and I figured I'd stick with something simple... Yami seemed better than Akuma...

* * *

**Possessed**

I jerked myself awake and sat up in a frantic rush. My heart was beating a mile per minute and I rested my palm against my chest to try and calm it. _**That was the worst dream I've ever had… He said we'll be seeing each other soon, but how soon?**_ My throat felt dry and constricted so I coughed a few times to clear my throat. _**Wait, he said he was the book… Even if it doesn't make much sense that could be what he meant. Speaking of book… What did I..?**_ My finally calmed heart started to beat more frantically when I realized the book was no longer with me. I jumped off the hospital bed and began to search the room in a panic frenzy.

"Where is it?" I nearly yelled, yanking the covers of the bed off and throwing them on the floor as I continued to inspect the bed.

I dropped to my knees and searched under the bed. My arms were stretched out on the ground and I was blindly feeling around since the sun had set and there wasn't much light left to see anything.

"Looking for this?"

I jumped and hit my head on the bottom side of the bed. I groaned and slowly retracted myself from underneath the bed while clutching my head in pain. I blinked my eyes a few time to adjust to the lack of light and, if I hadn't heard his voice, I would have probably had a heart attack from shock. Kakashi was sitting on the window sill with my book in his hand.

"…You're late."

"I know, but you see there was this old lady who-,"

"Save your excuses for someone who cares to listen to them. Where'd you find my book?" I asked, finally getting over my slight headache and calmly taking the book from him.

He didn't respond right away as I scanned over the book to make sure there was no damage. _**This book is the reason why I'm here, it must hold some answers… **__**That it does, human brat.**_ I yelped and had to catch the book before I nearly dropped it in shock. I glanced at Kakashi and he gave me one of those typical "What _are _you doing?" kind of looks. I nervously laughed and clutched the book closer. _**Okay, this is weird… Now I'm hearing things! **__**Well, you are a pretty weird human yourself but I can assure you, you're not going crazy.******__**That voice.. it sounds so familiar! Where have I heard it before though? **__**Aw, don't tell me you've forgotten about me already! I just visited you and I told you we would be seeing each other soon! Are you really that stupid to forget me?**__** Yami, is that you? **__**No, it's Santa Claus. Yes, it's me you dimwit! I know what you're going to ask and to make things short and sweet I can talk to you mentally so long as that book is in your possession. No other humans can contact me, either.**_

"It's dark, I'm going to get you to your apartment as soon as possible," Kakashi said, ignoring my little slip up and smoothly getting off the window sill.

"O-okay."

_**My God, I'm starting to sound like Hinata with all the stuttering I'm doing! I need to grow some more backbone!**_ I then thought of how Kakashi was previously an ANBU ninja and how many people he probably killed in his line of work and took back that thought. _**Maybe lacking a backbone won't be such a bad thing…**_ _**Like hell it is!******_I chose to ignore Yami as I followed Kakashi out the door. _**I can't wait to get to this apartment, I'm already going crazy with Yami talking my ear off!**_ Yami was talking furiously but no one else could hear it but me. _**Lucky me. **__**There's no need for that tone of sarcasm. Most people would be honored to have a conversation with a demon!**__** Yeah, too bad I'm not one of those people. **__**Sarcasm is very ugly on you, you know that?**_ That was when I drew the line. I completely zoned out Yami and focused on Kakashi.

"Where did you say you found my book?" I asked as we walked down the quiet street next to him.

"I didn't but you actually dropped it in Lord Hokage's office when you fainted earlier," Kakashi explained to me as we turned a corner into an area with loads of apartments and houses built close together.

"Oh. So what are our plans for tomorrow, Kakashi?"

"Kakashi-_sensei,_" He stressed.

A roll of my eyes was a good enough response.

"What are our plans for tomorrow, Kakashi-_sensei?_" I questioned as we came to sudden stop in front of an apartment door.

"Well, we are going to go meet my team that has been chosen…" Kakashi muttered, fishing out a key out of his pocket and unlocking the door.

"We?"

"Yes, tomorrow would probably be a good time for you to meet the team you'll be working with anyways. I'm sure you'll get along with them just fine."

"Somehow I hardly doubt that…" I muttered quietly, already picturing a hyper Naruto, a loud Sakura, and a depressing Sasuke.

"What was that?" He asked as handed me the key and showed me the apartment.

"Oh nothing…"

_**Nothing my ass. It's no wonder you're so weak. You won't even speak your mind! You're going to have serious problems if you don't express yourself more.**__** No, I'll have more problems if I do express myself because anyone here could probably kill me in a blink of an eye! **__**That's what I meant about you being weak…**__** Shut up. Just shut up already. **_Yami just snickered and I sighed. Kakashi showed me the bedroom last after giving me the whole tour, even though the house itself was pretty small. Kakashi sat on the window sill in my bedroom and gave me directions as to how to get to the Academy. He wasted no time to gain his freedom, though. Because with a quick "goodbye" he jumped out the window with his ninja reflexes, leaving me alone with an open window.

"Now that he's gone, I can't wait to get rid of you," I muttered, tossing the book in the bottom of a random dresser drawer that was provided for me.

Instantly, I felt relief because I could no longer hear Yami's _annoying_ voice. I sighed and easily plopped down on the bed, savoring the comfort I felt of the cool sheets. I clutched the pillow to my face and breathed in calmly. About two more minutes of this and I decided it would be a good idea to take a shower. Grabbing a random pajama set I had found folded in another drawer of the dresser, I headed to the bathroom. _**Looks like they prepared this whole house for my stay when I was waiting for Kakashi. **_

The whole house was stocked to last me for about a month on my own, that included food and hygiene wise, I noticed as I inspected the house closer on my slow trek to the bathroom. I adjusted the water to a good temperature after making sure the bathroom door was locked. _**The last thing I need is a ninja running in on me bathing... **_Tossing my dirty clothes aside I decided I would scrub them clean to use tomorrow. I softly scrubbed my body clean and, carefully, washed my hair. _**Maybe I should cut my hair... It's kind of a pain to have it this long. **_I seriously contemplated that as I wrapped a fresh towel around my body and shut off the water.

"Nah... It's been a while since my hair has been this long. If it gets in the way, I'll just cut it later on."

With a quick nod I kneeled down and cleaned my clothes in the bath tub with fresh water. With that finished, I hung the clothes over the bath rail for them to dry. I snatched up my undergarments and threw them in my top dresser drawer, despite them still being damp. I changed into the pajamas, after making sure the window was shut with the blinds closed, of course. Instead of going to sleep like I originally planned I decided to take another look at my, newly addressed, "Spell Book". Grabbing it out the dresser I was immediately bombarded by Yami's voice. _**Where the hell have you been? Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to make contact with me? Listen here, you human brat, you should feel grateful that I'm even**_** trying **_**to speak to you right now! In fact I-** _That was enough for me. I dropped the book and kicked it underneath my bed, a part of me hoping I would forget about it by tomorrow morning. That night I easily drifted into an oblivious sleep, without Yami ruining it.

**.:. Time Skip .:.**

The sound of birds chirping beautifully woke me the next day. I squinted against the few rays of light that seeped through my blinds and sat up slowly. I started my day slowly, but started to pick up my pace when I remembered I was supposed to be meeting my team. _**Wait.. I'm not even meeting Naruto or the others until the afternoon! **_With a groan of frustration I shook my head and dressed quickly, even though I wouldn't be meeting the others until later.

"I guess I should talk to Yami a bit more, no matter how much I don't want to."

I reached under the bed and as soon as my fingers skimmed the leather Yami was at it again. _**Okay, I've had it!**_ I winced slightly under Yami's furious shouting that was pounding in my head. _**Yami, relax! I'm tired of hearing your voice! Which is why I've been purposely avoiding you! So why don't you do us both a favor and shut up for once? **_I yelled in my head as much as I could and, for the first time since I could talk to Yami, there was silence. Then there was maniacal laughter. _**That's what I'm talking about! That's the kind of attitude you need to survive here, kid! I have a strong feeling we're going to get along really well if you keep this up!**_ Yami laughed loudly and I could feel a headache coming on.

I decided to use a mini drawstring bag I had found in the closet to put the book in and tied the string around my belt loop. I used the other string to tie it around my thigh to hold the bag against my thigh. _**There, now are you happy? We may not be making direct contact but whenever your book is against my leg we can speak, right? Now, will you stop nagging me? **_There was silence and I almost thought my plan hadn't worked. _**...Yes, I'm happy.**_ For some reason, he didn't sound too happy though. More like annoyed. _**Oh well, let's go explore, shall we? **_Yami didn't respond but I took off towards the main street of Konoha anyway. I should have known better than to look around blindly, though. About three minutes passed before I crashed into someone. Books scattered across the ground as the person I crashed into dropped them.

"Oops, sorry!" I fell to my knees and fumbled to gather up the few books, but froze when I saw a very familiar cover staring at me.

_**...Icha Icha Paradise? Wait, then who I ran into is...**_ I felt my face heat up in a blush and dared to glance up at the person I ran into. The blush left my face though and I let out a sigh of relief when I realized it wasn't who I thought it was, instead it was some stranger. I stood up right and started to hand him his books but a voice stopped me.

"Well, here you were worried you would have trouble getting along with us. If you read _Icha Icha Paradise_ then I can assure you we'll get along just fine."

I froze and my blush came back, twice as bad. I turned and my eyes connected with none other than the Copy Cat Ninja himself.

"W-what! Don't be ridiculous! I don't read this kind of stuff," My senses came back to me and I shoved the books back in the stranger's hands. "I'm not even old enough to read this!"

Kakashi merely chuckled and my blush burned brighter. _**No, no, no, no, no! Why is this happening to me? **_I was mentally freaking out and it didn't help any when I heard Yami cackling in my head at my misfortune. The man had long since lumbered away, leaving Kakashi and I alone in the middle of the street. Well, not completely alone, considering the other people that were rushing around us in the busy street. My blush still hadn't completely vanished and Kakashi just walked by me after tapping my shoulder once, an obvious sign I was to follow him. I jogged after him as we turned down a different path. The air suddenly felt a bit more tense, somehow. _**Watch yourself, kid! You're not the only one feeling the tense air...**_ _**Well, **_**that **_**just makes me feel so much better...**_

"Where are you from again?"

I could plainly hear Kakashi's suspicion, whether he tried to hide it or not was what worried me.

"No where around here..."

"Hm, so how is it you knew about _Icha Icha Paradise_ then?"

"W-what?"

"If you're not from around here, how did you know you weren't old enough to read it?"

_**Oh shit... **__**Oh shit, is right, kid. Better think fast otherwise your cover is gonna be blown up in your face.**_ Somehow I knew that didn't bother Yami because he laughed loudly right after. I visibly froze and could feel terror rising in me. Kakashi and I were in a deserted pathway, too. _**Meaning he could easily kill you if he suspects you enough! Oh, this is great! It's like watching a drama!**_ Yami cackled and I could feel his happiness at my expense. His laughter wasn't the only one I heard, though. Kakashi chuckled and I could feel the tension slipping away as we continued to walk.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. The Hokage has already informed me of your.. _situation._"

"What did he tell you?" Even I could hear my voice wavering.

"He merely told me that you held a lot of knowledge, and that it shouldn't be considered odd if you knew something even though you're not from around here."

I couldn't help the gush of wind that slipped past my lips in relief. Yami was disappointed, that much I could tell. _**Just like that, there goes my drama...**_ Yami continued to sulk and I was inwardly smirking. _**Now, what am I supposed to do for entertainment?**_ Yami went on whining and I went on ignoring his whining.

"Although, I was serious about the _Icha Icha Paradise_ thing. It _would _be very interesting if you actually read the book. I've never met a female reader of the series. Would you like to borrow my book? If anything confuses you, you can _always_ come ask me about it," Kakashi had lowered his voice to make it seem husky, even though his eyes proved he was merely joking.

I glanced up at him and noticed him looking at me. _**Why does something like this have to happen with one of my Fandom Crushes? **_My blush easily fired back up and I knew he could see it just as well as I could feel it. I couldn't find my voice, but Yami found his pretty easily. _**Yes~ My drama is back on! But, y'know, you're making this kind of boring... As fun as it is to see you stutter and make a fool of yourself in front of one of your "Fandom Crushes", I want to see something more.. interactive!**_ I didn't get a chance to question Yami because the next thing I know, I felt a shiver go up my spine. My breath sucked in through my teeth and my heartbeat slowed down. I could literally _feel _my blood coursing through my veins and suddenly, I couldn't feel anything at all as my body moved on it's own. _**Show time!**__** What? Wait, what's going on? Why can't I control my body? Wait! Why is my hand reaching for Kakashi's face? **_I was freaking out internally as my body moved.

I could see my body move on it's own accord as my right hand touched Kakashi's masked face. His eyes went from slightly joking to shock and shifted to something else. My left hand caught his face between my palms and I felt my body tower up on my toes to reach him. _**Stop! I don't know what's going on, but somebody stop me before I do something stupid! Somebody, anybody! **_It was like moving in slow motion, even though I was still _in _my body I couldn't control it's movement. My hands pulled Kakashi's face down a bit more so that my face was at his ear. For some reason, he wasn't tense at all anymore; a bit relaxed if I said so myself. _**Why the hell isn't he stopping me? **_I was mentally screaming at myself and then I finally quieted down when I heard Yami laughing at me in my mind.

"You don't need to use the book as an excuse..." My voice was dropped in a husky tone like Kakashi's had been earlier, only it sounded darker than normal. "If you wanted me to come over, all you had to do was say the word, _Kakashi._"

_**Stop spouting nonsense! Stop it, stop it, stop it! Make it stop before it gets worse! Please! **_That must have been the magic word, because I felt my mind being jerked forward and I could suddenly feel my body again. Kakashi hadn't moved, but as soon as I regained control I jerked my hands away and moved my face away from his quickly. My face was bright red as Kakashi only blinked and continued to look at me. _**What the hell happened? Why couldn't I move? Why couldn't I even speak? **_My suspicions only grew more when I heard Yami laughing madly, more than usual. _**Yami... This is your fault, isn't it? I don't know what you did, but it's your doing isn't it? **_My suspicions were confirmed when Yami laughed even _louder _and his presence faded, leaving me to deal with the mess _he _created.

* * *

Haha, I just love making Yami torture Abby! It's too fun! ^_^ Review and you'll get your very OWN Yami voice! (Why you would want one is beyond me, but hey...) :D


	7. Chapter 7: Odd Introductions

**A/N: **I've been trying to make the chapters longer and I'm making it to about 3,000 words per chapter and growing! I'm so excited! ^_^ I know they won't be speaking word-for-word, too. Sorry if that bugs you. Oh yeah, I'll be visiting my dad for a week, so updates might not come out as often, or at all, but I promise I'll try if I can get an internet connection!

**Special Thanks: **To icyprincess1 for adding my story to your Favorite's List! To UnfadingNightmare and WishingWanderer for adding my story to your Story Alert List! Finally, to icyprincess1, UnfadingNightmare, XSweetXSourXSoulX, and xRaWrx for the reviews! ^^

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or Abby!

* * *

**Odd Introductions**

Yami was completely out of my mind, and I couldn't have been happier for the welcoming silence in my head. It would have been better, however, if he hadn't left such a mess in his wake before he left me alone. Kakashi was still staring at me for some reason and my face was still glowing red from what I, no, what Yami _made _me do. My voice wouldn't come to me and there was a strong silence in the air. It wasn't awkward, at least, not yet. I swallowed and gathered my wits.

"U-uh, that was... Uh, I..." My voice was starting to come back in full force.

"Would you care to explain to me what that was?" Kakashi questioned and took one cautious step towards me as if I would snap if he got too close.

He was right about the snapping part but, in the wrong sense.

"I-I'm sorry!" I yelled, bowing swiftly and running off full force towards the Training Fields since I couldn't think of anywhere else to go.

Kakashi didn't follow me and I was extremely thankful for that. As I reached the Field I hunched over and placed my hands on my knees in an attempt to catch my breath. My breathing was ragged from all my running. I couldn't tell if I felt him coming first or if I heard his laughing, but Yami was back. _**That was amazing! Did you see the look on his face when I breathed those words into his ear? What a sucker! I've never had this much fun before! Well, besides when I'm feeding but, that's a different story.**_ Yami was so entertained he was _giggling. __**That was **_**not **_**funny, Yami! He's supposed to be my trainer! How am I supposed to clear things up with him now?**_

Yami wasn't listening, he was off in his own world, laughing away. _**Yami, this is serious! Think about what you've done, you idiot! **_He was still laughing gleefully. _**Oh, relax, kid!**_ I nearly busted a vein in anger when he said that. _**Y'know I didn't just do that for my own amusement. After all, did you see his face when I said his name? If I didn't know any better I'd say you're not the only one who has those feelings! Ah, how I love the drama! What's more beautiful than a forbidden relationship between student and teacher? Besides, maybe, the sight of fresh blood being spilt.**_ I didn't know whether to sweatdrop or shiver at his last thought. Sadly, as he said, I _did _see Kakashi's expression when Yami made me say his name.

_**He looked..vulnerable? If that's the right word... There was something else there too, even if I don't want to admit you were right... Don't get your hopes up, Yami! There's no way he has feelings for me! Besides, it's as you said! He's a teacher and I'm his student! That's just wrong! I don't know how you did it but, don't take over my body again, got it? **_Yami snickered. _**I'm not making any promises...**_ I twitched at his sing-song voice as he said that.

"You are getting on my last nerve, you little-,"

"Yahoo! Let's get to it, Akamaru!"

I stopped moving and looked in the direction the voice came from. _**Ugh, I know that voice... **_Yami twitched in excitement at my obvious annoyance.

"A-ano, Kiba-kun, m-maybe we should w-wait until tomorrow to start t-training?"

_**There's no mistaking that voice, either. I'd better get out of here before they see me. I don't know if any other Jonin were informed of my "situation". Not to mention, they won't recognize me so they'll think I'm an enemy without a headband... **_My thoughts were cut short when I heard a buzzing by my ear, followed by a voice speaking.

"Looks like someone else has already beaten us here," A deep voice spoke out clearly.

"What? Who else planned on training the first day they met their team? I swear if it's Naruto, I'm going to-,"

"Kiba, calm down. It's not Naruto. Although it is someone you should meet," A cool, authoritative, female voice rang out through the clearing.

A minute later Kiba, Shino, and Hinata were all suddenly standing in the Training Field with me; Kurenai leading the way. I skimmed my eyes over each of them and was relieved that none of them looked like they were going to attack. _**That's good... **__**Pfft. What part of that is good? It just means you're too weak for them to pick on! Listen, why don't you just let me take over again and then I can-**__** Hell to the no! After what happened last time you took over my body? You've got to be crazy! Never again! Besides, they're not making trouble so it's all good. **_Or at least that's what I told myself, even though I still felt nervous. No one spoke so I decided to take matters into my owns hands. I plastered a fake smile onto my face.

"Hello! My name is Abby Reagan, it's nice to meet you..."

"The name's Inuzuka Kiba and this is Akamaru!" Kiba announced loudly, gesturing towards the dog in his jacket while said dog barked at the mention of his name.

"Aburame Shino," Shino spoke bluntly, pushing his shades farther up his nose with one hand.

"M-my name is Hyuga H-hinata," She stuttered and fiddled with her hands shyly.

"I am their Jonin instructor, Yuhi Kurenai," Kurenai said, placing one hand on her hip and smiling, even though the smile didn't touch her eyes.

"It's nice to meet all of you! Uh, but, am I taking up your spot? I didn't mean to, I was just running and I ended up here," I said, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly.

"Not at all! Reagan-san, you can stay here if you'd like; it makes no difference to us. We actually aren't training seriously, we just came here to find somewhere to relax and so the team members could get to know each other better," Kurenai explained, and I felt more comfortable than I did when they first arrived.

"Kurenai-sensei, why did you say we needed to meet Reagan-san? My bugs were inspecting her and her chakra levels don't seem all that good. In fact, they're only about Academy level - if not lower than that," Shino pulled one hand out of his jacket pocket and instantly a bug I had no idea was on me flew to his outreached palm.

_**What.. what did he just say? My chakra level is worse than an Academy level student? How dare he? How rude! I take back anything nice I thought about Shino! I feel like beating him to a bloody pulp!**_ I was furious, ranting in my head because I knew Yami could hear me. _**Well, he does have a point. Just like I've been saying all this time, you're weak.**_ I could practically feel a vein about ready to bust at his comment, coupled with Shino's bluntness. Hinata must have sensed my growing anger.

"A-ah, I-I'm sure Shino-kun didn't mean t-to be so mean! P-please don't take it the wrong way!" Hinata said, trying to smile to reassure me.

Hinata was more than enough to appease me though. _**After all, who can stay mad at that? **_I thought about how Hinata stuttered just to apologize for her teammate. I breathed out and calmed myself before I snapped and lost my temper. _**Feh, you would like being around her, wouldn't you? She's just like you, if not worse with her stuttering problem!**_ My temper flared and I ignored the urge I had to throw my Spell Book as far into the woods as I could. In the midst of my temper I remembered something.

"Wait, if the teams have just met today, then how is it Guy's team was already assembled yesterday?" I asked, not really caring if I sounded suspicious.

However, Kurenai only seemed a bit surprised that I even knew about Guy's team.

"Oh, Guy had a mission to take care of and since his team was already picked out the Hokage decided to send them with Guy since it was only a small mission to a neighboring village."

"Oh..." I said, unable to think of a response to that.

"Wait a second, just how do _you _know about Team Guy when you don't even have a Leaf Village headband? I've never seen you before, either. Just who the hell are you?" Kiba demanded with Akamaru barking in agreement.

"Uh, I'm new to the Leaf... I actually just got here yesterday..." I evaded the most important part of Kiba's question but, he wasn't having any of that.

"Oi, I asked you how you knew about Team Guy! I expect an answer, _runt._"

Anything I was about ready to say vanished from my mind. Anger was slowly building up inside me when he snapped at me _and _insulted my height. _**I know this brat did **_**not **_**just insult me. **_Yami laughed at my growing anger. _**I'd say he didn't insult you but, then I'd be lieing... You're not expecting me to lie to make you feel better, are you?**__** ...No, no I'm not. It doesn't matter because I'm going to beat this brat senseless; ninja or not! **_Before I could even act on my rising violent thoughts a hand clamped onto my shoulder and stopped me from moving.

"Well, I see you've met my newest student. This saves me the trouble of having to go find you and introduce you to her," Kakashi said lazily, hand still on my shoulder.

_**Smart man. I can still feel your urge to want to beat that Inuzuka kid strongly.**_ I ignored Yami and his laughter and focused all my attention on keep a good reign on my anger. A few minutes passed where Kakashi and Kurenai conversed but I was too preoccupied to pay attention when my anger finally sizzled out completely. Kakashi must have known this too because he let go of my shoulder right as the feeling passed.

"Well, it was nice stopping for chat but I'm afraid Reagan and I have some team members to meet. See ya," Kakashi said, waving once and grabbing onto me before we disappeared in a _poof. _

As we made our leave I could faintly hear Kiba still ranting like, "What does he mean they have team members to meet? Who's her team? _How _can she be on a team with chakra like that? No one ever answered my question about Team Guy, either!" I chuckled as Kakashi let go of me, our destination reached. We stood in front of the Academy. I chanced a look towards Kakashi and felt the humor drain from my system when he met my eyes. My face became flustered as I looked around anywhere but, at Kakashi. _**Great, now I can't even look him in the face without remembering that moment earlier! Thanks a lot, Yami! **__**...Sarcasm still isn't pretty on you, kid!**_ I groaned and was about to do a face palm when I noticed Kakashi glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Is this where we're going to meet the other members?" I questioned, pointing towards the Academy to break the silence.

"Yeah, they're waiting inside so we should go get them before it gets too late. We're already late and-,"

"_We're late? _What do mean by "we"? I could have been here long ago if _that_ didn't happen."

I didn't have to say what _that _was for Kakashi to know. I suddenly froze and realized what I had just said. _**Oh, me and my big mouth!**_ He didn't say anything and I feared that I had stepped on some invisible mine or something of the sort. The silence was killing me and it only got worse when Kakashi refused to stop staring at me so I cleared my throat loudly.

"We should get going, right? They're still waiting..." I drifted off the sentence and Kakashi nodded, finally looking away from me and heading towards the Academy.

The walk to the classroom was quiet and I didn't mind it one bit. Well, it wasn't _completely _silent. At least, not for me. Yami started giggling insanely as if he found our silence the funniest thing to him. _**This is so good! I can't wait to see what happens next! Come on, let me take over just once again and then I'll **_**really **_**mess with his head! He-**__** No, no, and no to the max! Just leave it be! **_With that, I ignored everything else Yami was saying. Then, when I thought back to the manga _I _felt like giggling when I knew what was going to happen next. Kakashi and I stood outside the classroom and I could faintly hear voices inside.

"Well, time to meet your team," Kakashi sighed and slid the door open, sticking his head in.

_Plop! _The dirtied chalkboard eraser dropped onto his head and the next thing I know I heard loud laughter from inside the room.

"Ha ha! He fell for it! I can't believe he actually fell for it!" A loud, obnoxious voice laughed; Naruto.

"I'm _so _sorry, Sensei! I _told_ him no to do it but, he wouldn't listen!" A girl voice whined, loud and clear; Sakura.

I put my hand up to my mouth to restrain myself from letting a laugh slip by. Especially since I knew what Kakashi was going to say next. _**Hey, stop thinking of what's going to happen before it does! I'm trying to watch my drama unfold here and you're spoiling it for me!**_ That time I couldn't resist. A chuckle slipped past my lips and, secretly, I took some satisfaction in ruining Yami's "drama". Kakashi smiled.

"Hm... Let's see, my first impression of you guys... I don't like you," He said it so bluntly I almost slipped up again.

Kakashi pulled his head out of the door and made a motion with his hand towards the stairway. 'The roof' I mouthed in question, so as to not let the others that I was there. He nodded once and I could tell he wanted to keep my appearance a surprise, too. I quietly went up the stairs as quickly as possible and waited in the shadows, leaning against the railing because I knew they would just take any way to get to the roof besides the stairs. A minute passed before four blurs landed on the roof. Kakashi sat on the railing towards the village while Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke took seats on the stairs.

"Alright, let's just begin with introductions," Kakashi said, glancing in my direction discreetly to let me know when it was alright to come out.

"What do you want to know?" Sakura questioned curiously.

"Your likes, dislikes, and your dreams for the future - stuff like that," Kakashi shrugged.

"Hey, hey, why don't you introduce yourself first?" Naruto asked loudly.

"Yeah, you're kinda suspicious..." Sakura added in.

"Oh, me... My name is Hatake Kakashi and I have no desire to tell you my likes or dislikes... Dreams for the future, hm... And I have a lot of hobbies..." Kakashi drawled on and I felt like laughing at his lack of response.

"So, all he really told us was his name..." Sakura muttered.

"Okay, now it's your turn, we'll start with you on the right," Kakashi pointed to Naruto.

"Yosh! My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I like cup ramen! I like it even more when Iruka-sensei pays for it. What I hate is the three minute wait for the ramen to cook...

I would've sweatdropped if I could. _**Ramen on the brain, all right...**_

"And my dream is to become Hokage one day and make all the villagers acknowledge my existence!" He finished with determination in his eyes. "Pranks are my hobbies, I guess..."

Sasuke started speaking without Kakashi telling him to. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke and there are a lot of things I dislike... And not very many that I _do _like... My dream, no, my ambition is the resurrection of my clan and to kill a certain man," Sasuke finished and a dead silence took over.

Sakura looked awed, Naruto looked a bit irritated, and Kakashi looked serious... _**Poor kid... Even now, his hatred really does start growing... **__**Hmph, let him experience a little suffering... It never killed anyone. Well, at least, not intentionally.**_ Yami chuckled darkly and I actually felt a shiver go down my spine. Kakashi finally spoke up and told Sakura to make her introduction.

"My name is Haruno Sakura and the thing I like..." Her face started blushing, while glancing at Sasuke. "Well the person I like is... My dream for the future is, uh... Oh yeah! What I dislike is Naruto! My hobby is..."

Sakura never finished out of embarrassment. I smiled lightly and felt like laughing at all their expressions. Finally Kakashi cleared his throat and all three Genin turned their attention towards him.

"Okay, normally there are only three members per team but there has been an exception for our team..." I pushed away from the railing and started towards the group, without any of them noticing me yet. "Our team is going to have an extra member in addition to you three - orders from the Hokage himself. Now, this new member has not been to an Academy like you three so it might be difficult at first... However, that being said, she is very knowledgeable so that helps us greatly."

In their own ways, each Genin repeated the word "She" as if they were shocked to have a female joining them. For Sakura, I believe it was out of worry in case this new member would "steal" Sasuke from her. I walked up behind said Uchiha and they finally tensed as they felt me standing behind them. I bent down to their level and smiled, leaning in between Naruto and Sasuke.

"That would be me," I replied, still smiling.

I quickly walked around them, with their eyes following my every move, and stood next to Kakashi. He motioned for me to go ahead and introduce myself and so I did.

"My name is Abby Reagan and I'll be the newest addition to your team. It's nice to meet you all! I must say you're all pretty unique, aren't you?" I was speaking cheerfully just to get on Sasuke's and, perhaps, Naruto's nerves. "I hope we all get along and become friends!"

Somehow from Naruto's still blank look, Sakura's curious stare, and Sasuke's annoyed look, I doubted that would work out too well. **_Heh, heh, heh, no kidding! Good luck! You'll need it!_** Yami was practically doing mental back flips at my predicament. I internally sighed, knowing for a fact that I would need all the luck I could get.


	8. Chapter 8: Training & Trouble

**A/N: **Okay, I know I haven't updated in a while I apologize. As if my laptop getting a virus a while ago, but then my laptop would NOT let me access it at all! I probably tried a million different password possibilites and I could not get on! Thankfully, I had my friend, AlwaysBelieveInLove, help me figure out the password… So now I'm back, and I can write again! Hallelujuah!

**NOTE: **For some reason, the underlining in my story no longer works whenever I upload a chapter so from now on when you see something like _this_, that is now Yami's thoughts! And _**this**_ is still Abby's thoughts! Sorry for the confusion!

**Special Thanks: **To anyone who has the patience to stay with me and still read + review my story! :)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto or Abby, really.

* * *

**Training & Trouble**

There was an awkward silence while I continued to use a fake smile, my arms folded behind my back. I could feel Sakura getting irritated, whether it was my cheerful attitude or whether it was just the simple fact that I was another girl on the team, I didn't know. _**Not that I care... She can keep her precious "Sasuke-kun" if that's what she's worried about... I just want to get on his nerves and see the stoic Uchiha lose his cool! **__Heh, heh. And you thought I was weird? Take a good look in the mirror, kid!__** ...I never said you were weird, though... **__...Shut up! You know what I meant! I-_ That's when I zoned out Yami and went back to the blissful silence. Sakura suddenly smiled and I felt all her anger pass. **Someone's finally calmed down! **She jumped up and stood in front of me.

"So, your name is Reagan-san, right?" I sighed and nodded, not really caring that she was really addressing me by my last name. "It's nice to meet you, too! How old are you? What are you doing after this? Oh, I know! We could go look around the village or we could go shopping or something else! Or-,"

"Sakura, give her some breathing space," Kakashi said, noticing my slowly inching away from Sakura.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Sakura went back to her normal self, taking a few steps back and blushing in embarrassment.

_**Maybe this won't be so bad... **_I almost smiled at Sakura's hesitance. She still had a look in her eyes that told me she had about a million questions and was eager to ask them but, something else in her eyes told me she was nervous to ask them in case she got scolded. I let my lips twitch and held out my hand to Sakura. She glanced from to Kakashi and back to me nervously. Finally, she shook my hand and I could feel her confidence growing.

"That sounds like a great idea, Sakura. I need some new clothes anyways," That was a lie, though.

_**My closet is probably packed with clothes to last me for a while but, it wouldn't kill me to try and bond a little bit with my team... Speaking of team... **_I glanced over Sakura's head towards Naruto and Sasuke to see them in another staring contest. I sighed and glanced at Kakashi who was watching them as well. I patted Sakura on the head and she looked up in confusion before I swerved around her to talk to Naruto and Sasuke.

"So, does that mean you two will coming as well?" I asked, my arms folded behind my back innocently as their staring contest ended.

"What? Why would I go with you and Sakura-chan shopping? That's so boooooring!" Naruto said, turning towards me.

I visibly twitched.

"Well, no one said you _had _to come but I just thought you might like to tag along anyway. Besides, shopping won't take too long and I planned on getting something to eat-,"

"I'm in! Ramen for dinner sounds good to me!" Naruto interrupted, grinning.

"Naruto! Don't be so rude! Reagan-san is our new team member - she should get to pick where we eat!" Sakura yelled, smacking Naruto over the head. "So, is there anywhere you'd like to go eat at?"

_**...It's amazing how she can switch moods so easily. **__No kidding! She's got to be bipolar!_ I could only hum in agreement.

"No, ramen is just fine. I don't care really, besides, I need to get around the village more," I turned towards Sasuke. "Are you going to tag along, too?"

"Hn."

_**Oh, no he did not just say that! I swear I'm going to rip some hair out of my head if all I ever get for a response from Sasuke is a "Hn". **__Wow, this brat is more of a stick in the mud than you are!_ My vein pulsed dangerously but, my anger faded when Sasuke finally responded normally.

"I'm not going to waste my time on the likes of you-," Sasuke's stomach growled loudly and I actually smirked when a look of irritation and embarrassment crossed his face for his stomach betraying his words.

"I guess it's settled! We'll go out to eat first and then Sakura and I can get some shopping done!"

"That's all well and good but I wasn't finished talking," Jumping in shock, I turned towards Kakashi who had taken on a lazy tone of voice again.

"...Right, sorry," I muttered, stretching out on the stairs next to Naruto while Sakura took her seat next to Sasuke.

"Okay, tomorrow we are going to start our duties as shinobi, something for just the five of us," Kakashi folded his arms.

"What is it? What is it?" Naruto asked in an excited tone.

"Survival training," Kakashi said, and a silence followed.

"Survival training?" Naruto questioned.

"Why are we going to train first? We've done plenty of training at the Academy!" Sakura followed up on Naruto's inquiry while Sasuke stayed silent.

"This isn't a normal training; I'm going to be your opponent," Kakashi said, arms still folded over his chest.

My body tensed because I knew what was going to happen and I knew what he was going to say. _**Way to ruin the little bit of a moment I had with Team 7, Kakashi! **_Naruto still looked confused and Sakura questioned as to why Kakashi had suddenly started laughing.

"Well, when I tell you, you guys are going to freak out..." He started explaining slowly.

"Freak out? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, confusion still written on his face.

Kakashi suddenly turned serious.

"Out of the twenty seven graduates, only nine will be chosen to become Genin and the rest will be sent _back _to the Academy... This training is going to be extremely difficult with a 66% chance of failing!" Kakashi said dramatically, and started to laugh again.

Naruto was shell shocked. Sakura was.. shocked as well? Sasuke just seemed tense.

"I told you, you'd freak out," The Copy Cat Ninja laughed again.

"What? No way! But we worked so hard to graduate!" Naruto exploded.

"Oh, that... That was just a test to see who would get the _chance _to become a Genin..."

"What?" Naruto yelled.

"Anyway, tomorrow is your day to show your real skills on the Training Grounds... Bring all the shinobi tools you have and, oh yeah, don't eat breakfast because you'll throw up..." Kakashi said while Naruto started visibly shaking.

Kakashi explained about the training and passed each of us a paper with details on the meeting tomorrow. I knew exactly what was going through Naruto's head as he shook. _**He's worried about failing and he wants to show off his strength... **_I glanced at Sakura and knew her thoughts too. _**Of course, she's worried about being separated from Sasuke. Speaking of the devil... **_I glanced at the Uchiha and watched him crumple the paper and that answered my question on his thoughts. _**He obviously is a bit irritated and doesn't want to be held back so he can grow stronger. **__At least someone has their priorities straight!__** Shut the hell up, Yami! **_I didn't wait for a response, instead I ignored him. The air was still tense, even when Kakashi left.

"...Okay, let's get going! I'm starving!" I yelled energetically, jumping up and folding the paper so it would fit into one of my side pockets in my bottoms.

"W-what?" Sakura jumped at my sudden outburst.

"What do you mean "what"? We're going to go eat! I skipped breakfast _and _lunch so I'm starved! Besides, I want to at least go look at some clothes! Cheer up, you three! I _know _you're, no, we're going to do just fine! The survival training isn't until tomorrow anyway! We can worry about that when the time comes but, until then, let's go relax a bit," Standing up, I headed for the stairs and felt Sakura happily follow me; Naruto was scratching his head as he followed and Sasuke, surprisingly, trailed behind in a slow pace.

Sakura led the way as we headed for the ramen shop from the Academy since I explained I didn't know the village that well, even if it was a lie. Naruto was talking my ear off about everything we passed and Sasuke was quiet, only making a grunt or some noise when Naruto tried talking to him. Sakura announced we had arrived at the ramen shop and I took a seat next to Naruto. I sat on the far left, then Naruto sat next to me in the middle, Sasuke took the third from the left seat, and Sakura sat on the last seat to the right of Sasuke. The three ordered their ramen and I just agreed to get whatever the cook saw fit. A few minutes of mindless chatter from Naruto and Sakura passed when our food came up.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto chanted, breaking apart his chopsticks with Sasuke and Sakura following his example.

_**...Breaking apart chopsticks? Aw, hell! I don't know how to use chopsticks! What do I do? I'm supposed to be pretending to come from another village but, it'll be suspicious if I can't even use chopsticks! How the heck do I get myself out of this mess?**_ My mental freaking out was interrupted. _Kid, shut the hell up! Listen to me, I'm not from this culture originally but, I can help you! Just let me take over a little..._ I frowned. _**I don't think so! I still remember what happened last time you took over! **_Yami actually sighed. _Relax, I'm not going to do anything you wouldn't do. All I'm going to do is help you use the chopsticks... Besides, that man isn't here so it wouldn't be any fun to do anything embarrassing!_ I wanted to snap at him but instead I decided to take a risk and let Yami take over a bit.

A shiver went down my spine and everything around me slowed down dramatically. My hands in specific became numb and, suddenly, everything went back to normal. The voices around me were once again loud and the movement of the others around me were once again normal. I moved my arms towards my bowl of ramen, chopsticks already split in my right hand. Even though I couldn't feel my hands they were still moving accordingly. Team 7 had stopped eating temporarily and were staring at me oddly. My left hand gripped the bowl and my right dug into the food, using the chopsticks with ease.

_**Huh... This is actually working! Wow! I'm using chopsticks! **__Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. _I'm _the one using the chopsticks. Just sit there and look pretty while I do the work._ Paying no mind to Yami's condescending words I enjoyed the ramen as my hands moved numbly, feeding me. The Genin went back to their food as I ate mine. Suddenly, my hands weren't numb anymore and I could move them freely. My eyes widen and I nearly let out a yelp of surprise. _**Yami, what are you doing? Take back over! I can't use chopsticks! I can't... **_My thoughts were cut short when I realized I actually was using the chopsticks correctly. _**Well, what do you know...**_ I didn't understand how I was using them but, I wasn't complaining.

"Sakura, did you have any place in mind to go shopping at? I don't really know any stores..."

"Oh, don't worry! I know the perfect place! Ah, wait, where are you going, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura cut short and turned in her chair as Sasuke walked away from the stand, leaving the empty ramen bowl on the counter.

"Where do you think I'm going? It's late," Sasuke replied coldly.

Sakura looked upset at Sasuke's attitude and Naruto looked annoyed. I intervened before Naruto snapped.

"Oh, I get it. We're not _good _enough to hang out with you, Uchiha? Or, wait, I know... You just don't have enough patience to wait for the rest of us to finish. That must be it," I stated, glancing at Sasuke with half-lidded eyes because I knew it would get to him.

He stopped walking and turned to glare at me. _Heh, looks like you've got his attention. Now reel in that sucker!_ Yami was chanting happily in my head as I continued to pester the Uchiha. I could've sworn I seen Sasuke visibly twitch.

"Oh well, since he can't handle being a bit patient, let's just go, Sakura," I said, finishing off my last bite of ramen and jumping off the stool seat.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke and I could tell she didn't want to go without him but, I merely smiled at her in reassurance. Naruto followed my lead and slurped up the last of his ramen. Jumping off the seat, he slapped some money down for his ramen. I dug some money I found in the house out of my pocket and paid the Ichiraku cook. Naruto went ahead while I walked slowly on purpose for Sakura and Sasuke, whom trailed after me. During the walk towards the clothing store, Naruto managed to slip away.

"Well, looks like shopping was a pretty pointless idea..." I muttered once we reached the store, only to find it closed.

Sasuke grunted in annoyance and, without another word, turned on his heel to go where ever it was he planned on going. Sakura seemed down so I assured her we would get another chance to go shopping. We waved to each other goodbye and I headed home. Once I got home, I began practicing on how to use my chakra, or what little of it I did have. _**From reading the manga I know what to do but, it's still tiring... **_I made a symbol with my hands and concentrated on bringing my chakra forth. I felt a small flicker and sighed, breaking apart my hands. It didn't seem to be doing me any good but I was getting better. I spent the night practicing away until I felt like I would be some what okay during the training tomorrow. It didn't take much to make me fall asleep.

**.:. Time Skip .:.**

The next morning I dressed in new clothes, not really caring what I wore. _Good morning, sunshine!_ I groaned as Yami's voice pounded in my head. _**Shut up! It's too early for you to be talking!**_ _It's not that early! In fact, I think you're late to your team meeting!_ I ignored him because I knew I wouldn't be late anyway. I headed for the kitchen. I cooked some rice and made a sandwich, packing it into a bento for later. Of course, unlike the others, I actually ate something. Only an apple, because I feared I really _would _throw up. Continuing to ignore Yami, I ran all the way to the Training Field, happy that I could make it there without stopping. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were already waiting.

"Oi, oi, you're late!" Naruto yelled.

"...Oh well."

Naruto twitched and Sakura seemed aggravated as well. Sasuke was just indifferent. About twenty minutes passed before Kakashi arrived.

"You're late!" Sakura and Naruto both yelled, pointing at Kakashi.

Kakashi merely ignored their accusation and set up his timer on a wood stump. The Genin looked confused but I knew what Kakashi was doing. _**Looks like the show is about to begin... I hope you get your drama fill, Yami... **_He merely chuckled and I stiffened as Kakashi brought out three bells from his pocket, dangling them from his fingers using the strings.

"There are three bells, it's your task to take these from me before the time runs out at noon. Those of you who don't have a bell by then get no lunch... I'll not only tie you to one of those tree stumps over there," He indicated towards three tall tree stumps, "But I'll also eat _my _lunch in front of you."

Three collective stomach growls followed. I resisted the urge to smirk.

"You only need to get one... There are only three here so one of you is definitely getting tied up. Not to mention, the person who doesn't get a bell fails. One of you will be sent back to the Academy, as well. You can use shurikens and kunais. You won't succeed unless you-,"

"Come at you like we're willing to kill?" I finished for him, crossing my arms over my chest.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all tensed even worse than when they did when Kakashi mentioned sending someone back to the Academy.

"You'll be in danger, though!" Sakura protested.

"Yeah, and besides, you couldn't even dodge a falling eraser! We're going to kill you!" Naruto laughed, putting his arms behind his head.

"In the real world, those lacking talent often bark the loudest. Well, ignore Mr. Dead Last and start when I say..." Kakashi replied bluntly.

A vein popped on Naruto's head and he acted fast. Naruto whipped out a kunai and charged at Kakashi. _**He's faster than I am, no doubt.**_ I felt like cringing when I realized that Naruto was only a Genin and he was faster than me. I took back my words about Naruto being fast though, when one second Naruto was attacking Kakashi, and the next Kakashi had Naruto's own kunai pointed at the back of his neck with his arm twisted behind him.

"Calm down... I haven't said to start yet," Kakashi said, pressing the kunai a bit closer to the back of Naruto's neck.

Sasuke tensed and Sakura was in awe.

"Well, seems like you're finally prepared to come at me with killing intent... So you've acknowledged me? Heh, I'm starting to actually like you guys... Alright, begin!"

As soon as Kakashi finished speaking there was a _whoosh_ing sound and the three Genin disappeared in a blur. I was in awe, even if I didn't show it. I suddenly realized something, though. _**I'm not nearly as fast as they are! How am I supposed to get a bell? More importantly, how do I get away from Kakashi if I can't even run fast enough? I'm completely screwed! I'll never pass now!**_

* * *

Dunn. Dunn. Dunnnn. xD Poor Abby... She's always got something going wrong for her! Oh, and if you have any questions about some of the terms I used feel free to send me a PM!


	9. Chapter 9: Survival of the Fittest

**A/N: **I know some of this _might_ seem far-fetched but I figured sense there already were "demons" in the Naruto manga that it would be okay to throw in one of my own. (Yami) Even if he isn't "all-powerful". I'm trying to make Abby non Mary Sue-like, too... _

**Special Thanks: **icyprincess1, Naru-fan111, xRaWrx, XSweetXSourXSoulX, AlwaysBelieveInLove, + OneWithMusic!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto and Abby is merely my friend whom I'm dedicating this story to!

* * *

**Survival of the Fittest**

"The most important thing for a ninja is to be able to hide yourself... So, why aren't you, Reagan?" Kakashi asked, folding his arms over his chest.

From Kakashi's tone I could tell he must have thought I was either acting stupid or that I really _was _stupid. A vein began to build up on my head, because I had a feeling that he really thought I was dumb. _Heh, take a breather, kid. Remember, we're not from around here so it's okay that neither of us can use chakra that well._ I was silent for a moment before I exploded. _**What do you mean you can't use chakra that well? You're a demon! You're meant to have loads of chakra! You're supposed to be super strong so that I can use your chakra for myself! Are you telling me you don't have any chakra? You've got to be kidding me! If this were a "Girl in Naruto World" fanfic, I would have some amazing power! You're supposed to be that amazing power! Ugh! **__Stop talking already! I'm not from here! I'm not saying I don't have any chakra... I just don't have much of it... I have more than you, though. That much I can tell._ I twitched at Yami's superior tone. Choosing to push Yami's voice out of my mind, I laughed nervously.

"Well... My home doesn't have any ninjas and I've never trained to be one so... Sorry," I rubbed my arm sheepishly.

Kakashi blinked.

"You've never trained to become a ninja?" He sounded a tad suspicious.

"Uh... No, I haven't..." I muttered, suddenly finding the ground really interesting as I stared at it.

Kakashi sighed and I could tell he was thinking of something along the lines of "What did I get myself into when I agreed to train this girl? Oh wait, I _didn't _agree". _**Ugh... The others must think I'm an idiot... **_I dared a glance behind me in Sakura's direction, then a glance in Sasuke's direction to see if I could read their expressions. They were hiding too well though... I looked up at Kakashi. _**Sorry... I know I'm not going to be the easiest to train. I'm weak, not really athletic, and I only have a tiny bit of chakra. I would explain things better to you but, I can't with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura right here... **_

"Fine, then I'll give you a head start, I guess."

Shock made me stare at Kakashi. _**That's unexpected... **__Who cares? Take his kindness and use it to your advantage. Take off while you can!__** I'm not fast enough to out run Kakashi! **__No, but I am! I may not have much chakra but, I _am _fast... This is an experiment though...__** I get it! You plan on possessing my body again and seeing if your speed can be used through me! Like a medium! **__Heh, you're not so stupid, kid! Let's give it a shot, shall we?__** Fine, let's go!**_ I expected, by now, the shiver down my spine. Everything moving in slow motion was expected, too. My legs went numb and, I'll admit, it was very weird. It felt like I was going to fall at any minute, even though my legs were already moving on their own.

_**Let's hope this works... I'm counting on you, Yami!**_ As I thought that I felt my legs jerk in the direction of the trees and suddenly I was moving at a speed I _knew _was anything _but _human. I glanced at Kakashi before I left and took note of his shocked facial expression. I could tell he was shocked, even with the mask on his face. Yami was laughing exuberantley in my head. _**Hmph, you must miss running like this, don't you? **__Of course I do! Do you know how long it's been since I've been able to run this fast? I haven't had a human host in a long time and even then I couldn't use my demonic speed in case it would draw attention to us!_ Resisting the urge to smile at Yami's happiness I knew I'd have to burst his bubble.

_**Yami... I know you're happy but, you need to slow down to a human pace! Kakashi was already suspicious and he saw us when you first took off! Your speed is anything but normal! We're trying to blend in and we're not going to be able to if you use your demonic abilities to their fullest while in my body!**_ Yami didn't respond but I could feel my body slowing down until I was stopped fully in a small clearing. _Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. Stop nagging!__** ...You're annoying. Here I was actually worried about interrupting your fun, too! **_My legs were suddenly sore as I felt the numbness fading away. _**Holy hell! My legs are killing me! If it hurts this much just from you enhancing my speed, I'd hate to picture what it would be like if you enhanced other parts of me **_**while **_**using your speed!**_

_You won't have to worry about that! I'm already feeling exhaustion hitting me, too! Hell, all I did was use my abilities to enhance yours and I feel about ready to fade out!__** Hm... I guess that means you can only enhance one part of my body at once before you get tired, huh? Oh well... **_I limped over to a tree and sat down at the base, stretching my legs. I closed my eyes and sat in peace. It was about fifteen minutes later that my peace was ruined. A twig suddenly snapped and I jumped from the tree, swerving to look for the source of the noise. My eyes narrowed in on a bush when the leaves started rustling. Sakura suddenly popped out of the bushes. I let out a gush of air I had no idea I was holding in.

"There you are!" She coughed furiously. "I've been looking for you, Reagan-san!"

I sighed. _**Okay, this is getting annoying... Maybe I should start correcting people on my name? **__Pfft. Good luck._ Ignoring Yami I walked over to Sakura and lightly patted her on the back to calm her coughing.

"Sakura, my first name is Abby _not _Reagan. Besides that, why were you looking for me anyway?"

"I heard you say your home didn't have ninjas and that you had no training," She coughed once more then smiled at me once the coughing fit ended. "I thought you would be having trouble but, boy was I wrong! The way you took off... It was so... I don't know, it was so _un_real! I had no idea you were so _fast!_"

I smiled even though on the inside I was feeling a bit guilty, knowing that I was only that fast because I had used Yami's demonic speed. Sakura went on about how I would do _so well _in training if the rest of my skills were as good as my speed. All the while I felt the weight of guilt building up. It was when Sakura called me Reagan that I found a way to push aside my guilt.

"Sakura, like I said, my first name is Abby."

"Huh? During the introductions though, you said your name was Abby Reagan. Normally, you say your last name first when introducing yourself to someone so I just assumed..." She trailed off, obviously confused as to why her intellect couldn't pick up which was my first name.

"No, that's actually my fault! I didn't correct myself when I had the chance to..." I glanced at her. "From where I come from, we normally say our first name first so it was my mistake... Sorry."

I smiled sheepishly while Sakura merely nodded in understanding and smiled. Our conversation was stopped when we both suddenly heard a loud yell. _Oh, if only I could see who ever made that yell! I bet they're in such pain!_ Yami began laughing once more and I narrowed my eyes. _**That sounded like Naruto! Looks like Kakashi has started targeting us then... **_I looked in Sakura's direction. _**Sakura looks so nervous, too... **_Just as I was about to suggest to Sakura that we leave and find the others, a strong breeze came through and leaves swarmed around us like we were in the middle of a tornado. Realization hit me. _**Wait! This is... Shit! Kakashi already got to Naruto so this must be when Kakashi places a Genjutsu on Sakura! **_True enough, I suddenly felt my eyes drooping as the Genjutsu hit me. _**I may not have much chakra but, I know what to do with my little bit in this kind of situation! I remember it from the manga! **_I used my hands to form the appropriate hand seal.

"Kai!" I yelled, and forced my chakra to spark enough to cancel the Genjutsu that was slowly starting to take effect.

My eyes popped back open just as the leaves fell to the ground. _**Crap, I may know what to do but Sakura doesn't! **_I turned towards Sakura just in time to see her freak out and I had realized I was too late since my chakra was far too weak to use to break her out of the Genjutsu too.

"Huh? What was that? What's going on? Where's Sensei at?" Sakura asked, swerving in every direction.

Suddenly, she stopped and she looked happy. She yelled "Sasuke-kun!" and stared in one general direction. However, when I looked in that direction, there was no one there. _**It's no use... She's already caught in the Genjutsu! There's nothing I can do to help her, either! **_I gritted my teeth and, before she could question me, I took off running in the direction towards the clearing where Naruto had charged at Kakashi. _Oh, are you just going to leave your little friend behind like that? Aren't you _so _brave?__** Shut up, Yami! I wouldn't leave her if I didn't know for a fact that she was going to be okay! Kakashi is going to push her into fainting from the Genjutsu vision! She's going to see Sasuke as a bloody mess and then the real Sasuke is going to show up soon. I have to get away or I'll be the next person Kakashi targets! If I leave quick enough Sasuke will catch up and challenge Kakashi on his own...**_

_Well, well, well... You really are smarter than I originally thought! However, you won't be able to out run him in this state!_ I bit my lip and continued to run as fast as my tired legs could take me. Suddenly, I heard Sakura's scream and that was just the motivation I needed to push myself harder. I could perfectly picture what was happening, too. Sakura had seen Sasuke after he looked like he was used as a human target. He would be a bloody heap and Sakura would pass out from shock. Next, Sasuke would attempt to steal a bell from Kakashi by using a combination of the Great Fireball Jutsu and pure Taijutsu. _**To think even Kakashi wouldn't be able to read his book, either... **__Well, this Sasuke kid sounds fairly good, then! Maybe we should give him a run for his money?__** What are you talking about, Yami? **__Heh, I say when I recover enough we beat the Uchiha to a _real _bloody mess!_ I came to an abrupt stop. _**Yami, how dare you even suggest that! The point of these excersizes are to get along better with our teammates, not make them hate us more! Besides... I'm pretty sure, no, I'm positive Sasuke could beat **_**us **_**to a bloody mess... **_Yami huffed once but I knew he had dropped the subject.

Suddenly, in the far distance behind me a huge burst of fire shot up and I flinched. _Heehee, looks like someone's getting fried!__** Hmph. More like an Attempted Fry. **_**That **_**is the Great Fireball Jutsu I was telling you about... If Sasuke has already used that technique then that means their battle is close to finishing... I'd better get a move on if I want to at least make it back to the clearing in one piece!**_ Sasuke's surprised yell resounded through the forest and I stiffened. _**Crap, that means their battle really is over! I have to move fast!**_ That was my intention, but it didn't go so well. One step was all I took before a small gust of wind brushed by me. _...Looks like you're a bit late there, kid._ I could tell Yami was struggling to hold in his laughter but I paid no attention to him.

"Well, you know enough about Genjutsu to at least cancel one out... Your Taijutsu might be better than I originally thought from the speed you had at the beginning of this training... Let's see how well you deal with Ninjutsu..." Kakashi's voice drawled out in a echo around me.

No matter how much I glanced around me, I couldn't pin point his location. Apparently, my reflexes weren't all that good because Yami picked up on Kakashi's attack before I could even see it coming. _Kid, jump out of the way!_ Being burnt to a crisp was not my goal, so I leapt to the right and rolled on the grass just in time to avoid a Fire Jutsu attack. The ground where I was previously standing was being eaten alive by flames as my jaw fell slightly slack. _**That could've killed me! He could've killed me on the spot! This is meant to be just training? How do these kids survive? No, how will I survive?**_ At some point during my mental freak out, Kakashi had come out of hiding and easily put out his Fire Jutsu with a Water Jutsu of his own; using water from the stream near the clearing.

"Hm, you're reflexes aren't all that bad... Although, if that's your only way to avoid a Ninjutsu attack then you're pretty much hopeless... Don't just dodge the attacks, fight back," Kakashi said, crossing his arms.

"Like I said, I've never trained to be a ninja! I don't even _know _any Jutsus to perform!"

Well, that was a complete lie. I knew quite a lot of Jutsus just from reading the manga and watching the anime but, I just didn't know the hand seals to use those Jutsus... Kakashi still seemed skeptical. However, he suddenly turned his head towards the clearing and sighed.

"I suppose we'll have to work more on this at a different time. I have to go, before Naruto breaks the rules and eats without a bell earned," He gave a little wave and then disappeared with a _poof._

_**Kakashi had said my reflexes weren't that bad... Too bad I don't have it in me to tell him it wasn't really my reflexes that saved my hide. I suppose.. I do owe you a thank you, Yami. **_He merely scoffed, as if he knew that. _Finally, I'm getting some credit for my work!_ I twitched in anger and chose then to be a good time to ignore him. Sakura suddenly yelled and I groaned, sagging my shoulders. _**Well, this training is over. If Kakashi went to go stop Naruto from eating that must mean the bell is going to ring any minute now. Might as well head back now... **_I jogged towards the clearing and seen Naruto tied to a tree stump.

"What did you do?" I asked in exasperation, even though I knew exactly what he was in trouble for.

"Well, uh, you see... I, uh, tried to..." Naruto cut off, laughing awkwardly.

"Like _I_ said earlier, he tried to eat without getting a bell first," Kakashi said, flipping through his orange book calmly.

"So you tied him to a tree post?" I asked, one eyebrow lifted.

"So I tied him to a tree post."

"...Fair enough," I replied, shrugging my shoulders and sitting on the ground near Naruto as the bell finally went off.

Only about ten minutes or so passed before Sasuke and Sakura returned and took seats on the ground by me, as well.

"Oh, you guys look really hungry... By the way, something about this training... Well, there's no reason for any of you to go back to the Academy," Kakashi spoke seriously.

Naruto looked happy, Sakura looked shocked, and Sasuke looked passive.

"Yes, alright! Then all four of us!" Naruto yelled, kicking his legs cleanly off the ground in excitement.

"Yes, all four of you.. should quit as ninjas!" He replied bluntly.

I tensed when I felt the mood shift dramatically. I wasn't depressed or surprised, really. The others, however, did not look thrilled.

"Quit as ninjas? What does that mean?" Naruto yelled, kicking his legs once again, only this time in frustration. "Okay, so we couldn't get the bells, but why do we have to quit?"

The Jonin spoke calmly, "Because all of you are just punks who don't deserve to become ninjas."

Sasuke snapped. He jumped up and charged at Kakashi with vengeance. He ignored Naruto and Sakura's yells of surprise. Before I could register his movements, Kakashi had Sasuke pinned on the ground and was sitting on him like a human seat.

"That's why you're a punk," Kakashi explained, pressing his foot harder onto Sasuke's head.

Sakura yelled at Kakashi for stepping on Sasuke, but he ignored her. Sasuke, on the other hand, was gritting his teeth and was rigid. Even I could tell he was furious. No, anyone could tell he was furious. Kakashi looked a bit angry as well.

"Are you guys underestimating ninjas? Huh? Why do you think it is you were divided into teams and were forced into doing this training?" Kakashi asked icily, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Sakura asked, confusion written on her face.

"Basically... You guys are not understanding the answer to this test."

"Answer?" Naruto asked, looking as confused as Sakura.

"Yes, the answer helps you pass this test." Kakashi explained patiently.

"So, when are you going to tell us?" Sakura asked, impatience riddling her voice.

Kakashi sighed and muttered to himself.

"Damn it! What's the answer already?" Naruto yelled, impatience getting the better of him as well.

"Teamwork," I murmured, instantly gaining the attention of all the ninja surrounding me.

Kakashi stared at me for a few seconds before continuing.

"Yes... It's just as Reagan says... The four of you working together might have gotten you the bells," Kakashi said, picking up where he left off at.

"What do you mean by teamwork? There are only three bells! Even if we were to work together and get the bells, one of us would still fail! What teamwork? That just makes us fight each other!" Sakura yelled, standing up finally.

"Of course! This test is purposely set up to make you fight against each other!" Kakashi pasued while Naruto and Sakura were in shock. "The purpose was to see whether you can forget about your own interests and successfully work together under these circumstances. Yet.. you guys... Sakura, instead of helping Naruto who was right by you, you were only thinking of Sasuke, who was far away. Naruto, you were too busy running around by yourself. Sasuke, you just assumed the others would get in your way and tried to do everything by yourself. Reagan, you were too busy thinking independently on your own, as well.

"The duties are done by the team. Of course, superior individual ability is important to a ninja. But what's more important is teamwork. When one individual acts alone, it affects the whole team and could put your comrades in trouble. It could even get you killed. For example," Kakashi pulled out a kunai and held it near Sasuke's neck. "Sakura, kill Naruto or Sasuke dies!"

Sakura looked appalled and Naruto was squirming frantically in an attempt to escape.

"You see? If a hostage is taken, you will have tough choices and people will die. You will be risking your lives on these duties," Kakashi got off Sasuke and walked over to a stone tablet nearby. "Look at this. The numerous names carved into this stone. These are ninjas who are recognized as heroes of the village."

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Naruto yelled, squirming frantically again. "I've decided to get my name carved into that stone, too! Hero, hero, hero! That's what I'll become!"

I lowered my head and felt a wave of sadness hit me. Sasuke had come back to sit next to Naruto on the ground. Kakashi probably got hit with the same wave of sadness as I did; probably because the others didn't know what it meant to have your name carved there.

"Naruto..." I muttered, glancing up at him. "I don't think you want your name carved into _that _particular stone..."

"Yes... Because these aren't just any normal heros..." Kakashi murmered in agreement.

"Oh yeah? What kind are they?" Naruto yelled, but Kakashi stayed silent for a moment so Naruto continued. "What, what?"

"They are all heroes who died in their line of duty," Kakashi said quietly, facing away from us and towards the stone.

Naruto no longer seemed excited or happy as this information registered in his mind. Sakura was shocked yet again and sad at the same time, while Sasuke just looked sad in his own way...

"This is a memorial... My best friend's name is carved here," Kakashi said sadly, and I didn't even bother to look at the rest of Team 7 to see their expressions. "You guys... I'll give you one more chance. But after lunch I'll make it even tougher to get the bells. Those who still wish to challenge can eat lunch, but don't give any to Naruto. It's punishment for trying to eat by yourself. If anyone gives him food, they will immediately fail. I am the rules here, got it?"

Without a moment to spare, Kakashi jumped away, leaving us four alone. Naruto started bragging about how he didn't need food when he was rudely interrupted by his stomach growling loudly. We each collected our boxed lunches and began to eat. Naruto's stomach growled lightly again and I sighed. _**I know Sasuke's going to give him food already, but I feel bad eating in front of him... **__Heh, I say you let him starve! He's the one who screwed up and now he's paying the price!__** ...You know, if that's your attitude towards everyone then what's your excuse? You screwed up **_**my **_**wish and what have you done to pay the price for it?**_ I knew that got to Yami because I could literally _feel _his anger pulsing through my veins. Ignoring him, I unwrapped my sandwich and turned towards Naruto.

"Here, eat up," I said, stretching my hand with the sandwich towards him.

Sakura nearly spit out her food and Sasuke looked like he could care less. However, Sasuke followed suit and offered his rice from his bento to Naruto, muttering a quick "here".

"H-hey, Sasuke-kun, Reag-," I cut her off with a light glare. "Abby-san, Sensei just said..."

"Don't worry, I don't sense him anywhere near us. After we eat lunch we'll work together and get the bells. Without food, he'll just be in the way, and that will only hurt us," Sasuke said, still offering his food to Naruto.

Sakura glanced from Sasuke, to me, and back to her bento before she finally made up her mind. She quickly shifted and lowered her head slightly while offering Naruto her bento as well. Naruto blushed lightly and let one chuckle slip past his lips. I chanced a look behind us, towards the tree I knew Kakashi was leaning against as he listened to our conversation. The others didn't pay much attention to me but somehow I had a feeling Kakashi knew I was looking at him. Naruto laughed and thanked us. A large cloud of smoke appeared before us as I heard Kakashi yell.

"What's this? You guys-," He leapt forward like he was going to attack us.

Sakura flinched back, Sasuke visibly tensed and moved into a battle pose, Naruto was shocked, and I just inwardly smirked without moving an inch. The wind and pieces of dust stopped hitting us and Kakashi stopped right before us, nearly stepping on me.

"Pass," Kakashi said, and I could tell he was smiling from the crinkling in the corner of his visible eye.

Naruto and Sakura had confusion spread of their faces while Sasuke just had a look of annoyance. I smiled lightly.

"Pass, but why?" Sakura yelled.

"You guys are the first," The three seemed confused as Kakashi spoke. "Everyone else would have just did what I told them. They were all morons. A ninja must see underneath the underneath... Those who break the rules and codes of the ninja world are considered trash... But you know what? Those who don't take care of their comrades.. are lower than trash."

Sasuke smirked, Sakura was ecstatic, and Naruto was awe-struck. Even I felt a bit inspired by Kakashi's words. That was, until, Kakashi used Guy's "nice guy" pose, and gave us a thumbs up. I visibly twitched. Yami laughed madly. _And this is the man who caused you to freak out so much this morning _and _this afternoon?_ I blushed when I figured out what Yami meant by "this morning and this afternoon" but, quickly composed myself.

"That ends the training! All of you pass! Okay! Starting tomorrow Team 7 will begin it's duties!" Kakashi said, still giving us a thumbs up.

I groaned and stood up abruptly, grabbing my packed lunch. As I walked by Kakashi I stopped and put my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me and I felt like slapping him aside the head for using Guy's pose.

"Way to ruin the moment there, Kakashi," I said sarcastically, patting his shoulder and walking away in annoyance.

Faintly, I could hear Sakura gasp for some reason. Naruto started yelling about being a ninja and Kakashi's voice trailed after me, reminding me to address him as Kakashi-_sensei._ I snorted and rolled my eyes, walking home in a fast motion. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura followed after me and I couldn't help but let a chuckle pass my lips as I heard Naruto yelling because he was being left behind. _**Hmm... Although I'm not too keen on the idea of facing up against the Demon of the Hidden Mist, I think I might actually be excited to work with this team... **__You're excited to work with this team? I will be too if I get a chance to fight this Demon of the Hidden Mist!_ My happy thoughts vanished... _**Me... Fighting the Demon of the Hidden Mist? Me fighting Zabuza and Haku? **_I swallowed loudly. _**...Maybe I should have a discussion with the Hokage about this first. **__Heh, whatever keeps you alive. After all, if you die, what are the chances of finding another human who has a crush on her teacher? Who will be my entertainment then?_ Yami howled in laughter as my face blushed. _**...Okay, I'm going to need some serious help. **_

* * *

Eh, kind of a bad ending to a chapter but on the bright side, this is the longest chapter I've ever written! :) Please keep this story alive - review!


	10. Chapter 10: Confidence

**Special Thanks: **icyprincess1, XsweetXSourXSoulX, OneWithMusic, Mikayla, xRaWrX, and Naru-fan111!

**Disclaimer: **Read the previous chapters for the disclaimer!

* * *

**Confidence**

Ignoring all my negative thoughts I had of the mission I knew was coming, I slowed my pace so the others could catch up with me. Sasuke had already left on his own, Naruto, whom someone _finally _untied, was talking rapidly about their duties as ninja, Kakashi, surprisingly, was walking along with us even though he was still reading his book, and Sakura caught up with me and had a light blush coated over her face.

"Hey, what's with you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her appearance.

"What do you mean what's with me? What's with _you?_" Sakura asked, and I would have thought she said it menacingly but the look in her eye told me otherwise.

I frowned. "There's nothing wrong with me. What makes you say that?"

_Nothing wrong with you __besides the loving, sadistic demon in your head._ Said demon then proceeded to laugh at his own joke. Sakura looked meaningfully behind us and I noticed Naruto running to a weapons shop, dragging Kakashi with him and yelling for us to wait a minute for them. Sakura took this time to quickly yank me to the side of the street and lower her voice.

"I mean, why are you addressing Kakashi-sensei by just his first name?" She whispered, glancing back at the weapons shop to see if Naruto and Kakashi were coming back out yet.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, not bothering to lower my voice and she shushed me and glanced at the shop again.

"It isn't normal for Genin to address their teachers by their first name! No one does that! Don't tell me... Is there something I should know about?" Sakura whispered the last part and I strained to hear her.

Then it hit me. I realized she was right. No other student addressed their teacher by their first name only. The teachers were allowed to call us by name regularly because we were the pupils. I noticed, however, that even the Genin normally addressed each other with some kind of honorific at the end, besides maybe Naruto when talking to Sasuke. Even then, though, Naruto added "Teme" at the end of Sasuke's name sometimes. Another thought hit me, and this one made me blush lightly.

"Sakura, you don't mean to say that you honestly think that there's something going on between us, right?" I asked nervously.

She didn't answer and that was more than enough for me.

"The truth about Kakashi and I is-," I started but never got to finish my explanation as Naruto ran out and starting yelling Sakura's name in excitement.

Naruto ran up to us and began showing us the weapons he had just purchased, but I wasn't paying attention. Looking at Sakura, I knew what she was probably thinking, and it wasn't anything that would help me become friends with her. _**Great... Now she thinks I'm some creepy person hitting on our teacher or something! **__Well, you did technically hit on Kakashi this morning...__** Shut up! I don't want to hear it! Especially since it was your doing!**_ Blocking him out, I debated whether or not to actually try to explain things better to Sakura. Somehow the look she gave me told me she had already reached an answer and she wasn't going to change, no matter what I told her. I sighed in defeat.

"Did I miss something?" Kakashi asked, looking between Sakura and I, momentarily forgetting about his book.

Sakura and I both stiffened and I noticed Kakashi's eye narrow just a bit. Just when I thought trouble was stirring up, Naruto broke the tension by screaming about being a ninja and took off running home. Sakura sighed and muttered to herself, going back to normal. She glanced from Kakashi's face and mine. Shrugging her shoulders in exhaustion, Sakura began walking home, but not before saying goodbye to both of us warmly. That made me do a double take. _**Well... I guess I don't seem as creepy as I might have thought if she's still being nice to me... **_Yami didn't comment and I was happy that he chose not to. However, I was not happy with being left alone with Kakashi, _again._ Yami made his presence known by chuckling at my bad luck. Kakashi merely shrugged before returning his attention towards me.

"What really happened when Naruto and I were gone?" He asked, keeping his book closed but still in his hand.

"N-nothing," I muttered and I internally cursed myself for stuttering.

"...Sure. Anyway, I want you to head to the Training Fields again and wait for me there. I have to make a quick run to the Hokage to let him know the results of our training exercise and after that we will begin your training," Kakashi replied, putting his book away.

"Wait, maybe I should come with you... I need to pick up some paperwork from the Hokage that will let me become an official citizen of Konoha. I've been meaning to talk to the Hokage myself anyway, so..."

"Don't worry about it, you can speak to Hokage-sama tomorrow morning. I'm sure he'll see you," Kakashi assured me even though it didn't seem like he was really paying attention and then disappeared in a blur as he took off running for the Hokage Tower.

I sighed but merely continued on my way towards the Field. _**Damn it... If only I could tell Kakashi the real reason why I want to see the Hokage... If he knew I was trying to warn him about the mission coming up for Naruto then he might have let me meet the Hokage... Wait, if I warn the Hokage will he make Naruto take on a different mission?**_ I stopped dead in my tracks and bit my lip. _**Shit... Now I really can't warn the Hokage because that would mess with the outcome of the Naruto manga! **__Sounds like a lot of bull excuses to me. You just don't want to go on the mission because you're afraid you're going to get yourself killed._ I didn't bother to respond to Yami's taunting because, deep down, I knew he was right. I knew I was scared and I knew I would be completely useless if I were to come face-to-face against Zabuza _or _Haku.

I bit my lip harder but paced myself to walk faster towards the forest. _**You know... I've never felt so weak in my entire life... You were right, Yami. I am weak. I can't do anything to help anyone. I may know what's going to happen, but what good is that if I can't **_**stop **_**it from happening? **__Don't start getting all depressed on me now, brat! You've done well with dealing with everything else this world has thrown at you and I won't let you cave on, what, the second day? No! Power is not gained overnight, kid. You have to earn it. You're doing the best you can and this is the right thing to do! You're training to become stronger and you're using your knowledge to help guide you._

I groaned and ignored Yami as I ran the rest of the way to the Field. Once I arrived, I sat down at the base of a tree and pulled my knees to my chest. I buried my face in my knees and felt like crying. Everything was so frustrating! If I warned the Hokage about _anything_ then that could change the outcome of everything else! If I don't, then terrible things are going to happen naturally, while I'm stuck in the middle of it! _**I wouldn't mind being in the middle of it all if I just wasn't so weak... If I knew I could protect myself a little I wouldn't care so much... **_I thought back on Yami's words and I felt a bit more upset. _**Yami... You weren't trying to hurt my feelings, were you? That... That was just your way of trying to get me to cheer up, wasn't it? **_I didn't get a response, but I didn't need one. I smiled and I could feel my confidence coming back to me.

"You were right... All I need to do is train as hard as I can... Then, I will be able to help, even if it's just a little bit. You were right, like always, Yami," I whispered, and I only felt better when Yami scoffed in my head, a perfect sign that his confidence had come back to him as well.

I smiled again and inhaled as I felt a breeze brush past me, sending my hair back over my shoulders. Opening my eyes, I stood up and began to stretch in preparation for what I knew was going to be hard training. When I finished, I could see Kakashi walking towards me, his book preocupying his hand, while the other was in his pants pocket. _Heh, you could use some strengthening emotionally, too._ I didn't comment but I knew he was right. I knew I couldn't just keep running away from all my embarrassment and mistakes.

"Yo, are you ready to begin?" Kakashi asked lazily as he continued to read his book.

"Yeah, but what exactly are we going to do? I've only got a small bit of chakra left since I used some of it earlier, and I won't have much more once I do get that amount of chakra back. I don't really have strong muscles to use Taijutsu, either..." I admitted while trying to put my hair up in a single pony tail.

"Well, your chakra isn't all that bad. In fact, it's not much, but I can tell you've gained a bit more since earlier. It seems this training isn't a complete waste after all," Kakashi said, glancing my way once.

"Really?" I murmured.

"Yeah," He sighed. "I suppose we'll just have to work on your Taijutsu for now and we'll work on expanding your chakra at a different training session. You can try to use what little bit you have left, but it wouldn't be wise since you'll probably pass out."

I nodded in agreement. He stared at me for a moment.

"Your chakra amount isn't the only thing that seems to have changed since earlier," He commented.

I smiled slightly. "Yeah, I suppose you could say I've come to grips with just how weak I really am. Compared to how I saw you fight against Naruto and Sasuke I'm pretty low in strength," I rubbed my arm sheepishly. "Strength never mattered to me, but I guess I should start caring if I want to be of some help. Even I know, as I am, I'd be beaten badly if I were to go against anyone in Team 7... That's why I'm counting on you to help make me stronger."

If Kakashi was shocked at my words, he didn't show it, but I knew something I said had gotten to him. He chuckled and I gave him a questioning look. He, however, waved it off and I shrugged.

"Fine then, but I'm not going to go easy on you just because you've never trained to be a ninja before," Kakashi warned me.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," I said happily.

He chuckled again and gave me another warning. He told me how sore I would be after this, but I didn't care. If it meant I wouldn't be so helpless then I was willing to take all that he threw at me. Yami merely grunted in agreement with me.

"Alright, then hit me with everything you've got," Kakashi said, and I didn't question him.

I pulled back my fist and let it fly. Just as it was about to hit him square in the face, he disappeared. I had to do a windmill action with my arm to stop myself from falling. However, Kakashi re-appeared and grabbed my wrist to stop me from falling.

"Uh... Oops?" I laughed nervously as Kakashi sighed and pushed me back up right.

"The power of that punch didn't seem all that bad... You need to work on your reflexes and your speed. I could have killed you three times over in the time you wasted trying to stand back up once I dodged your attack."

I twitched in annoyance. _**Three times my ass! **__Yeah! He could have killed you way more times than that!_That, of course, only fueled my temper. I used the adrenaline rush to my advantage, yanking my wrist out of Kakashi's hand and swung it towards his head. His eye widened for second before he cleanly dodged and my fist connected with a tree that he had been standing in front of. I bit my lip and whimpered when I heard my knuckle _crack._ I suddenly tasted the metallic tang of blood and I realized I had bitten my lip so hard it bled. _Yes, blood! Sweet blood!_ A shiver ran down my spine at Yami's creepy comment, but I focused on the pain in my right hand. Kakashi jumped next to me from the tree I had just punched.

"Now do you understand what I meant when I said you needed to work on your reflexes and speed?"

Choosing not to comment back, in fear I might snap at him, I slowly pulled my hand from the tree and whimpered at the sight. My whole right hand was aching and strokes of pain kept running up my right arm. Blood was smeared on my knuckles and small splinters and tree bark were embedded into my fist. I was almost ashamed to look at Kakashi when he sighed.

"Here, let me see your hand," He said, his book long since put away and holding out his hand in expectation.

I gingerly placed my wrist back in his palm and merely watched as he examined my hand. He sighed again and dug into an extra medical pack he, thankfully, had remembered to grab. He pulled out a pair of tweezers and began swiftly pulling out the bark pieces. I winced but didn't complain. The process didn't take long, I realized, as he put away the tweezers and pulled out a small container of medicinal salve. I continued to watch him as he unscrewed the lid and dabbed some of the salve on his fingertips.

"This will disinfect the cut in case it gets infected... There's nothing broken, by the way," Kakashi said after turning my palm around and feeling my fingers for any swelling.

I nodded. He swiped the salve on my cut-up knuckles and I felt like hissing in pain. Stronger than the feeling of pain, though, I felt a jolt when his fingertips brushed over my knuckles. My heart was starting to beat uncomfortably and I just barely managed to control my blush. Yami was disappointed, but he would have to deal with it. I couldn't help but wonder if Kakashi felt the same thing I did, but I chose to ignore that question to save myself the embarrassment. After finishing applying the salve, he put the container away and quickly wrapped my knuckles in bandages.

"Alright, that should do it..." He glanced at my hand and back to me as if he were thinking something over. "Maybe your training should wait until a different time? Your hand is going to be sore and it won't be easy to try fighting with it like this..."

"Weren't you the one who said you weren't going to take it easy on me?" I asked, raising one eyebrow.

He chose not to reply and I felt slightly smug. _Don't let it get to your head, kid. He could still kick your ass for your attitude._I frowned and sighed. _**Don't talk back, don't talk back, don't talk back... **_I chanted in my head so I wouldn't snap at Yami but his chuckling wasn't making it easy on me.

"Okay, I get it, I'm slow. I won't improve if I give up right after this, though, will I? Are you still going to train me, or not?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

I could have sworn I seen the corner of his lips behind his mask twitch up, but he went back to his normal attitude before I could double check.

"You're right. If you don't want to give up, try hitting me again."

I didn't respond, in hopes of catching him off guard as I swung my right fist again. Swinging my already injured fist wasn't one of my brighter ideas. Kakashi ducked calmly and I barely brushed against the tree as he pulled me back so I wouldn't make the same mistake twice. He stood back up and gripped the back of my shirt, pulling me by it. I quickly shoved my left elbow behind me and was met with Kakashi's palm. Throwing my right arm behind me I attempted to hit him, but he caught my forearm. I twisted halfway towards Kakashi when I felt a familiar shiver run down my spine. My eyes widened. _**No, Yami! Don't you dare!**_

He laughed and ignored me. Everything moved in slow motion and, quicker than all the other times, my body went numb. Without my control, my right leg swung around fully and, to Kakashi's and my surprise, my leg rammed into his stomach. He let go of my arms quickly and backed away while my body took on a battle stance. _**Holy hell! You didn't tell me you could fight! Here I thought you were weak! Still, remember not to do anything I wouldn't do! **__Heh, don't worry, I've got this covered! Well, you will have this covered. I'm just getting you started off better so you better thank me for this later!_ My annoyance came back at the thought of being in Yami's debt, but I knew I had to suck it up. Kakashi suddenly lunged at me.

My body moved out of the way just in time to avoid getting punched in the gut. _**At least he's slowing down his speed so we have a chance... **_I knew that was probably a blow to Yami's pride but I ignored that. My body ducked down as Kakashi leg came flying at me in a high sweep. _**Had I been standing there that would probably knock the breath out of me and more!**_ My body jerked up as my left fist swung up to try and punch Kakashi in the bottom of his jaw. He took one step back and easily dodged my punch. _**This is actually going pretty well!**_ That's what I thought until Yami forced my body to use the force of the upwards punch to jump so I was at the same height as Kakashi and lightly, but obviously, brush my lips over his mask, right where his lips would be.

My mouth turned upwards and I felt a smirk playing on my lips, even though I knew it was really Yami. _**What are you doing? Stop making things worse!**_ Yami laughed in my head but merely jerked my face away from Kakashi's and I, too, noticed his facial expression. He was torn between being shocked and surprised. My left fist suddenly jerked forward and, before I could even begin to think straight, Yami punched Kakashi in the gut. The force behind the punch shocked me as much as it did Kakashi. He actually _flew_ back into the trees behind him and I felt an urge to scream when his back slammed into a solid tree. Kakashi coughed and I noticed his mask got darker around the area where his mouth was. _**He's coughing up blood! **_He slid down the tree just as I felt my body going back to normal, minus the excruciating pain I felt all over from Yami possessing my body.

"Kakashi!" I yelled, making a run for the base of the tree where he was slumped against.

He coughed a few more times before his eye opened and stared at me. He seemed to be shocked, surprised, suspicious, and even a bit.. proud as he looked at me. I knelt down next to him and was acting a bit frantic. _**What do I do? He's coughing up blood from that punch! Yami, what the hell were you thinking? I told you to not do anything I wouldn't do! Now we're really suspicious! You could have seriously hurt him like that! I thought you said you were exhausted from using your demon abilities earlier, anyway?**_ I was boiling furious. _First of all, stop freaking out! He's not dead! Yeah, I did say I was exhausted earlier, and I was... I didn't use my powers, though! In case your too stupid to notice, I combined my little bit of chakra with a bit of yours to boost the attack!_ Silently fuming, I ran to go get the bag with medicine and brought it back to Kakashi.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard!" _Yeah, but I did,_ Yami added in nastily.

He chuckled. "It's okay. I just wasn't expecting you to have that much strength in you, I'll never make that mistake again..."

_Hell yeah, you won't!__** Yami, shut the hell up!**_ I yelled at Yami in my head, but I felt more like a mother scolding her child for the way he was reacting to my yelling.

"Y-yeah... Again, really sorry. I suppose I should have warned you if I was putting chakra into my punches?" I asked sheepishly, but my vision started getting a bit blurry and my body felt like lead had been dropped on it. "Uh... This should be good for one day, right?"

I swayed slightly as I stood, but caught myself on the tree. Kakashi suddenly seemed worried but didn't say anything. I blinked repeatedly and wiped my eyes so my vision was back to normal. _Great... Your body is collapsing because I used my abilities through you too much! Your weak, human body can't take the strain! It probably doesn't help that you only have a very scarce amount of chakra left, either…_I felt like snapping at Yami, but I just didn't have it in me.

"Sorry I can't help with your medical attention right now, but I'm pretty sure I would do more harm than good in this state... I hope you feel better!" I said quickly, turning away and walking as fast as I could back home before I passed out.

_**Don't pass out, come on... **_The humiliation I would feel if I fainted in front of Kakashi, no, if I fainted in front of anyone! I didn't get too far before Kakashi, grabbed my arm to stop me. I swerved towards him and blinked when he handed me a folder of papers. I took them from him and continued to walk back to my apartment. As I skimmed through them it came to my realization that they were forms to be filled out to become a Konoha citizen. I stopped walking and looked more closely. _**He... He remembered that I needed these forms? I thought he wasn't paying attention, though?**_ I smiled and clutched the folder closer to me. A sudden thought hit me when I turned around to still find Kakashi packing up his things.

"Hey, do you really want to know what Sakura said to me this afternoon?" I had to talk loudly since I had gotten farther away from him.

He stopped what he was doing to turn and look at me. His silence was answer enough. I laughed.

"She said she thought that there was something romantic going on between us!" I smiled again, and turned to leave.

There was a stunned silence behind me and I couldn't help but laugh. _Hmph. Looks like you're getting more confident emotionally, too! Now we're in business!_ I couldn't agree more with Yami. Although my whole body was aching beyond belief, I still couldn't help feeling happy as I walked away with the folder held to my chest closely.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I was fairly pleased with this chapter. How'd I do on the fighting scene? That was my first one ever written! (If you can't already tell...) Anyway, review and I'll give you the best virtual glomp ever! ;D And, no, Abby is not bipolar, but her emotions are swayed easily, just to clear that up.


	11. Chapter 11: Cat Hunting

**A/N: **Yes, this is officially the longest chapter I have ever written! :) And I apologize for the lateness! I was going to post this yesterday, but it was moving day and we got hit with severe storms and crap that made the sky turn all sorts of freaky colors and knock out the power, so no internet either. D:

**Special Thanks: **xRaWrx, Naru-fan111, icyprincess1, Lady Phantasmagoric, deathgeonous, DeeaE, Mikayla, OneWithMusic, and ILoveReadingAndWriting for the reviews! Thanks to KafeiDetour for adding me to your Author Alert's List! Thanks to deathgeonous, DeathSmile, and xForgetMeNot95 for adding my story your Favorite's List!

**Disclaimer:** The disclaimer is in the other chapters!

* * *

**Cat Hunting**

Okay, so I was more tired than I originally thought. As soon as I reached my apartment I yanked my hair out of the hair tie and collapsed on my bed in exhaustion, without ever changing out of my clothes. With the intent of doing my paperwork first thing tomorrow morning, I fell asleep quickly and peacefully. Whether it was out of pity or guilt I didn't know, but Yami did not speak a word through out the night and let me sleep fully.

**.:. Next Day .:.**

My head was pounding and when I was fully awake I understood why. _Wake up! Wake the hell up already!_ Yami was continuously yelling in my head, which led me to believe he had been doing so for a while. _**Ugh... I'm up, I'm up! Just stop yelling so much... It's too early for this...**_ With a groan, I heaved myself off my bed and curled my nose in distaste at my slightly wrinkled clothes. The clock above my bed told me it was 7:42. _About damn time you got up! Do you know how boring it's been with no one to talk to?__** Well, you're going to have to deal with being lonely for a little while longer.**_ Yami didn't get a chance to respond as I swiftly untied the draw string bag from around my thigh and tossed it on my bed. A sudden thought came to me, and I pushed it aside as I ran to the bathroom with fresh clothes for a quick shower.

_**I have to hurry! I have to speak to the Hokage before he decides to send me on that mission to the Mist! I'll only be in their way right now anyway... I've decided! I'll just give Kakashi a small warning about his mission and nothing more! **_I nodded to myself in determination as I finished up showering. Dressing as quick as I possibly could, I nearly tripped when pulling my shoes on. I ran back to my room, threw my towel in a dirty hamper, and snatched up my draw string bag, tying it around my thigh and belt loop again. Yami and I were once again reunited. _That was quick, you must have missed me!_ He then laughed and I didn't even bother arguing with him, after all, he never listened anyway. Ignoring Yami, I proceeded to shut the door calmly behind me and lock it. Just as I turned around I smashed right into someone.

"Ow, what the-,"

"Good morning, Reag-, I mean, Abby-san!" Sakura said cheerfully.

"Sakura, what are you doing here so early? Wait, no, how did you even know where I _live?_" I asked, rubbing my stomach after running into Sakura.

"She would know because of me."

Blinking my eyes, I glanced behind Sakura and finally took in the other people that were standing behind her. Naruto was grumbling to himself in irritation, Sasuke was stoic as usual, although his slightly narrowed eyes told me he was annoyed as well, and Kakashi was merely skimming through his book.

"Why exactly would she know because of you, Kakashi?" I noticed he didn't seem to care too much about me not calling him sensei. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, but we do have a mission, however. I was on my way to come get you when I ran into these three," Kakashi replied, flipping another page in his book before putting it away.

"Oh... Alright, so what's our mission?" I asked with slight hesitance, but none of the others seemed to pick up on it.

_Heh, what's the matter? You scared?_ Pushing aside Yami's taunts, I focused on Kakashi to hear his description of the job. The Jonin himself stared at me for a few solid seconds while the other three were discussing our mission with annoyance. Even Sasuke, the normally silent one, was letting his irritation get the better of him. Naruto, I could picture getting annoyed, but... _**How can they be getting annoyed when we're being sent to the Hidden Mist to protect Tazuna? He's not that bad... **_

"There's no need to be nervous, Reagan, our mission isn't difficult or anything," Kakashi explained quietly, so quietly that only I could hear him.

_**Is he talking like that to save me from embarrassment? Nevermind... Wait, how is protecting Tazuna not considered difficult? Isn't it supposed to be a C-Rank mission? For Genin, that **_**is **_**considered difficult, right?**_ _How the hell would I know? Why don't you just think real hard about it and I'm sure the answer will come to you naturally, Ms. Know-Everything-Before-It-Happens!__** Yami, stop acting so childish.**_ A growl in my head was the response I was given.

"Wait, what is our mission, then?" I questioned in confusion.

"We-,"

"We have to find a stupid missing cat, that's what!" Naruto yelled, cutting off Kakashi mid-sentence.

_**Huh? I don't remember that part... It could be because it was a minor scene and I didn't pay attention**__** the first time when I read it? Yeah, that's got to be it... **__Yeah, that _has_ to be it! Since it's impossible for you to not know anything that happens here!__** ...Are you high? I've never heard you whine this much before... **__No, I'm not high you stupid brat, I'm hungry! Normally, by this time I would be indulging in my Master's flesh and I'd be full because of the negative energy!_Ignoring the part about eating his Master's flesh I skipped to questioning about the negative energy. _Well, yeah, that's what feeds up demons! Negative energy from living beings is like dessert to us! Human beings themselves are tasty but it's the negative energy that fills us up!_ I kept that little piece of information to myself for later on. Listening back in, I realized the three had stopped complaining and Kakashi was merely shaking his head at their complaints.

"Oh well, it won't be that bad... Besides, all we have to do is find one cat! How hard could it be?" I asked as I took a necklace with a communicator attached to it from Kakashi while he passed them to the others to help keep us in contact while searching for the missing cat.

**.:. Time Skip .:.**

Apparently finding the cat wasn't the problem. _Catching_ the cat, however, was a whole different story. There were many times when Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and I had cornered the missing cat and had escaped by slipping away at last second. That led us to where we were now, in the forest outside of Konoha's gates. I was breathing heavily and felt tired from all the running I was doing, not to mention, I was _definitely_ feeling yesterday's training session. My communicator crackled before Kakashi's voice rang through the communication set.

"What's the distance to the target?"

"Five meters, I'm ready anytime," Sasuke replied quietly through the head set.

"So Am I," Naruto agreed.

"Me too," Sakura added in.

"Can we please just catch this damn cat already?" I muttered, so quiet I thought the others wouldn't hear me but, of course, someone did.

The response I was given was Kakashi chuckling. Blushing lightly in embarrassment, I pressed my back closer against the tree I was hiding behind and peeked around the edge. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were hiding behind trees as well, but they were closer to our target. Kakashi was somewhere else in the forest, but I had a feeling he had to be close by to give us orders. _**Then again, he could be giving us orders just from experience... Like, he doesn't even need to see the situation and he still knows what to do. **__Uh, I hate to interrupt your pondering, but I've got something to tell you...__** Hm? What is it, Yami? You're oddly serious all of a sudden. What's gotten into you? **__Your target is a missing cat, right?__** Yes... Why? What of it? **__Well, just... Shit, just don't get to close to the cat, okay? If you do, I can almost guarantee you'll be chasing after it again..._ Just as I was about to question Yami my head set crackled again.

"Okay, go!" Kakashi commanded.

Suddenly, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto leapt forward with Naruto yelling a war cry. I followed suit, minus the war cry, of course. Jumping from behind the tree, I was relieved to see Naruto squirming around on the ground, the cat struggling in his arms. Sakura was laughing as the cat then hissed and attempted to, what I could only assume, scratch Naruto's face off. I came around to join the group and kneeled next to Sakura as we tried to calm the cat.

"Got'cha!" Naruto yelled and he held the cat tighter, and a sound of crackling followed.

"Ribbon on the left ear... Are you sure this is the target, Tora?" Kakashi asked through the communicator.

"Yeah, we're sure." Sasuke responded into the head set.

"Good, lost pet, 'Tora', search mission is completed, then."

The communication was lost as we took off the communicators from around our necks. Tora, the missing cat, was still squirming furiously in Naruto's arms. Leaning down, I smiled and went to pet Tora on the head to try and calm her. The reaction was something completely different than what I expected. Tora's eyes widened before narrowing into slits. She stopped moving and the others stopped what they were doing to watch her. Tora's fur shot up and puffed out, a reaction I faintly remembered from my cat whenever she got scared and angry. Reaching for her again was my mistake. She suddenly lashed out and I hissed in pain as I yanked back my furiously bleeding arm.

"W-what's wrong with Tora?" Sakura asked as she looked back from the cat and to me.

Sasuke acted first. He quickly pulled out a roll of bandages and a clean cloth. He swiped the cloth down my arm, wiping away all the blood that was beginning to drip down from my elbow down to my fingertips. Acting fast, he securely wrapped a bandage around my arm, from my elbow to my wrist. He tightened it once and I visibly winced in pain, but didn't say anything. _I warned you about that damned cat... Filthy creatures, animals are... It's always about territorial areas with them..._I winced again and was brought out of my shock by Yami's voice. _**Yami... You knew something like this was going to happen?**_ My question was uncertain and he knew that as well. Him not responding was answer enough for me. _**Why did this happen? I mean, I look just like anybody else here, so why did Tora attack me?**_ _It's because of me. Although animals do not know what we are, they can sense extreme danger when it comes close enough to them... I had a feeling something bad would happen if you tried to get too close to her..._Putting the pieces together, I realized what Yami was saying. Animals could sense danger, and to them, Yami _was _danger.

"Let's go already! This cat is getting on my nerves!" Naruto complained loudly as he stood up and started walking to the village.

"Naruto..." Sakura muttered darkly.

Anyone could sense Sakura's anger, but I chose not to say anything in warning. Naruto, once again, complained loudly as he was hit aside the head by Sakura. Sasuke glanced at me once before going back to stoic self and merely following after Sakura and Naruto. Clutching my right arm lightly, as to not make it bleed even more, I walked after them. _**So, I can't get near any animals? Is that what you're telling me? **_Yami didn't respond at first. _Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you. Unless, of course, you _like _being attacked randomly._That snapped me out of my thoughts as I felt myself twitch in anger. _**Like hell I like being attacked! What kind of person does? If you're telling me to stay away from animals, then fine, I will! Stupid, annoying demon... **_My shadow demon merely chuckled and I let my anger fade away. Running, I caught up with Sakura and Naruto, but made sure to stay clear away from Tora. We made it back to the Academy quickly.

When we arrived, the cat was instantly snatched away from Naruto. A woman with chubby cheeks and lots of jewelry rubbed her face against the cat. Her hair was put up nicely and I noticed her make up was done neatly. _**Ah, I remember now... She's someone wealthy, obviously... Someone important... Oh, yeah, the manga said she was the Fire Country Lord's Wife, Madam Shijimi.**_ _How the hell do you remember small things like that? You forgot about the mission with the cat, but you remember the name of the owner of the cat!__** I have a photographic memory, and I paid more attention to this scene in the manga than at the beginning.**_ Shrugging my shoulders, I listened as she babbled on.

"Ohhh, my cute little Tora-chan! I was so worried!" She squealed as she snuggled her face closer to her cat.

I made no comment but I could figure what the others were thinking just by their expressions. _**It's no wonder that cat ran away in the first place! With an owner like that, I would run away, too! **__Heh, no kidding! That animal is getting what she deserves, though!_ _**It almost sounds like you want Tora to suffer for hurting me... Aw, Yami, are you becoming attached to me?**_ Inwardly, I was smirking as I taunted him, but it didn't seem to faze him. _Don't get so full of yourself! I hate all animals, I want them all to suffer! Territorial monsters..._ I coughed to cover up my laugh. Nobody else paid much attention to me. As the woman continued to smother her cat, the Hokage made his presence known by coughing with his pipe still in his mouth.

"Now, Kakashi's Team 7, your next duty is... Hmmm, babysitting an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighboring village, or to help with potato digging," The Hokage said as he read over our mission options.

None of them sounded too appealing. Apparently, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura thought so as well by their facial expressions. Naruto finally cracked after one C-Rank mission together.*

"No, no, no! No, thank you!" Naruto screamed while crossing his arms over each other, making a giant X with his forearms. "I want to do, you know, a more incredible mission! Find us a better one!"

Sasuke seemed like he couldn't agree more. Sakura was irritated, I could tell by the twitch in her brow. Kakashi could on hold his head down in Hokage was pondering this idea to himself seriously. I chuckled quietly before I decided it was time to put my knowledge to good use.

"Hokage-sama, I agree with Naruto. I think it would be a goodidea to assign us a different mission," I said, putting my arms behind my back.

Although there weren't any implications in my sentence I knew the Hokage understood what I was trying to tell him. _**The only problem I can picture is the Hokage assigning us the wrong mission... However, I suppose I'll just have to hope I have luck on my side, huh?**_ Yami chuckled but did not say anything. Something in the corner of my eye shifted and I glanced towards Kakashi. He was staring at me, like he knew I had somehow helped influence the Hokage's decision. Like he knew I was using my knowledge again... Iruka suddenly jumped out of his seat and slammed his hands on the desk in front of him, jerking my attention towards him.

"You idiot! You're just a rookie! Everyone starts with simple duties and works their way up!" Iruka yelled as if he hadn't heard me speak at all.

"But, but, we keep getting the crappiest possible duties!"

Forcing myself not to do a face palm proved to be difficult. _**He seems to have forgotten that we've only been on **_**one **_**crappy mission so far... **__Hm, a true idiot, that boy is._ A smirk pulled at my lips as Yami laughed loudly, but I forced myself not to. Kakashi finally stepped in.

"Be quiet, you!" He snapped, punching Naruto aside his head.

"Naruto, it seems I have to explain to you what these duties are all about. Listen, everyday the village receives numerous requests, from babysitting to assassination. Each request is written down on these lists.. and divided into an A, B, C, D ranking based on difficulty. The village is also divided based on skill. Starting with me, to the Jonin, Chunin, and Genin. The missions are then.. handed out by us at the top to ninjas based on their abilities. If the duty is completed successfully, we receive payment from the client... You guys just recently became Genin, so D-Rank missions are perfect for you," The Hokage explained all this as I watched the Fire Lord's wife make a payment.

I noticed how the Hokage didn't bother to point out that I _wasn't _a Genin. Well, not technically. Since I wasn't in the Academy to begin with there was no way for me to pass the grade and become a Genin... Which led me to question the Hokage's methods... _**How does he expect me to become a ninja when I don't even hold the title of Genin? **_Yami must have been getting lazy because he chose not to say anything. Naruto began muttering to himself about what he had for dinner and what he planned on having tonight. The Hokage was obviously mad as he snapped at Naruto to listen to him.

"I.. I apologize," Kakashi said weakly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Jeez, all you do is give lectures like that! But you know what? I'm not the trouble making brat you still think I am!" Naruto yelled angrily as he sat on the floor Indian style.

Kakashi began muttering about how he would get yelled at for Naruto's outburst. Iruka and the Hokage suddenly both looked proud. The Hokage glanced towards me, and I nodded my head so slightly no one but a ninja of Jonin rank and above would have noticed it. He took my nod as a confirmation of what he was about to do. He sighed, but then rested his chin on his folded palms.

"Okay... If you want it that much..." Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and even Kakashi looked surprised at the Hokage continued talking. "I'll give you a C-Rank mission. It's a protection mission of a certain individual."

"Yes! Who, who? A Feudal Lord? A Princess?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Calm down, I'm about to introduce him. Hey, will you come in here?"

The sliding door behind us creaked as it was slowly pushed open. _**Behind door number one we have... **_The door suddenly slammed all the way open and revealed Tazuna drinking heavily from his alcoholic beverage. _A drunkard?__** No, not a drunkard, you idiot... His name is Tazuna and he's a bridge builder... Although, that's not such a good first impression.**_ Yami only chuckled.

"What's this? They're all a bunch of super brats," He stopped to take a swig from his bottle. "Especially.. the shortest one with the super stupid-looking face. Are you really a ninja? Hey!"

"Ha ha, who's the shortest one with the stupid face?" Naruto laughed, looking from Sakura to Sasuke.

I snorted once with laughter and Naruto glanced at me. He finally seemed to understand. His eye twitched. Sakura and Sasuke just waited for Naruto to explode, which he did. He lurched forward in an attempt to try and attack Tazuna.

"I'll kill you!" He yelled but, he wasn't so lucky when Kakashi grabbed the back of his jacket, effectively holding Naruto back.

"What's the point of killing the person we're supposed to protect? Idiot!" Kakashi retorted, still holding Naruto back with one hand as he squirmed to get free.

"I am the super, expert bridge builder, Tazuna. I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge," Tazuna said while holding his bottle in his fingers loosely.

"I hate to interrupt, but about that... Lord Hokage, I would like to speak to you about this mission before we leave..." I said, smiling so I wouldn't seem suspicious.

Tazuna merely shrugged his shoulders before leaving the room. Kakashi was looking at me and I turned my smile in his direction to let him know it wasn't anything too serious. Naruto could care less, is what I assumed after he scratched his head at my formal tone and left after Tazuna. Sakura glanced at me once before following Naruto. Sasuke, however, seemed to stare at me a bit longer. _**I'm not surprised... He is very smart, after all. I'll just have to be more careful about how I act around Sasuke.**_ He left after Kakashi ushered him out. Kakashi spared me one last look before he followed Sasuke out. The Hokage nodded and led the way out the door, with me following in tow. The walk to the Hokage Tower was quiet and uneventful.

"Is there something I should know about this mission I've assigned to Team 7?" Hiruzen asked as he lowered himself into his chair behind his desk, pulling his pipe out of his mouth to blow out a puff of smoke.

"Well, yes... This C-Rank mission, isn't going to _stay _a C-Rank mission... Along the way, Naruto will run into a lot of trouble... As pathetic as this sounds, I will be of no use. In fact, with the way I am now, I have a strong feeling I will only get in the way and get myself killed. Which is why I'm requesting that I be excused from this mission and take on another by myself."

He took in this information calmly. "You've put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?" I nodded and he sighed. "Very well, I will relieve you of this mission and assign you a solo one. You said that this mission would no longer remain a C-Rank... Just how bad is it going to be?"

The tone the Hokage used at the end was slightly worried. Although I could almost guarantee he would never openly show his worries, I had a feeling this was one of those rare moments.

"You don't have to worry, after all, Kakashi is with them. Besides, Naruto's right, he's not the same kid as he use to be. He'll be able to handle this just fine. The beginning is going to be rough, but he'll manage just fine. As for my mission, I suppose any would do, if you don't mind."

If he was nervous about Naruto, he sure knew how to hide it.

"I understand. Let's see..." The Hokage pulled out a spare list of the available missions and skimmed them over. "I'll give you a different mission than the one's I listed... Something that will keep you as close to Konoha as possible until you gain more chakra to go farther distances... Ah, here we go! Just outside of Konoha's gates and in the forest there is a herb that someone has requested we find for them. I could give you a picture from an Academy textbook so you could find some of this herb. Sound good? This is a D-Rank mission, and the person who requested this mission will be here by tomorrow to pick up the herbs you find."

"Sounds like a plan," I replied while nodding my head.

"Iruka will provide you with the necessary book, should you ask him. Just ask for a basic medicinal plant book and he will know what to give you. The details of the plant are listed here," He handed me a scroll. "You will only need to find five herbs, so it shouldn't be too difficult."

I nodded again. "Okay, thank you! Oh, I should probably go meet the others to let them know I won't be going with them to the Hidden Mist... I'll be going then! Oh, yeah, I'll finish up my paperwork today, too! I'll be dropping it off when I return with the herbs later on today! See you later!"

With that said, I bowed once quickly before leaving and heading for the main gates of Konoha as fast as I could. _I'm surprised you aren't insulted by taking such an easy job... I know I am!__** Yeah, well, you're not the one doing the mission so you have no reason to complain.**_ Yami started speaking but I didn't listen. When I arrived at the gate, Naruto was pacing, Sakura was trying to get Sasuke to talk to her, which she was failing, and Kakashi was talking quietly with Tazuna.

"Hey, sorry I took so long," I said as I reached the others. "I've got some bad news, though. I won't be going with you on this mission, I've already discussed it with the Hokage... Sorry that you waited for nothing... Kakashi, I need to tell you something before you go."

He must have noticed my serious tone because he walked away from Tazuna to come talk to me. Behind him, I saw Naruto yelling about how they waited for nothing. Sasuke seemed pretty peeved, as well. Sakura was trying to make them both less angry.

"What is it, Reagan?" Kakashi asked before subtly glancing over his shoulder to make sure none of the others were listening.

"Kakashi, you'll have to be very careful on this mission. While I have no doubts that you will be already, I just want you to know how serious this mission actually is. I'm going to tell you flat out, this won't be easy for them or for you, really. ...Tazuna isn't being completely honest, either. You'll know when to question him on this, too..."

His eye widened for a moment before he regained his composure. He nodded once in understanding. Kakashi and I joined the others in a group. Quickly, before he could complain, I ruffled Naruto's hair.

"Hey, hey! What are you doing?" He whined.

"That's goodbye for now. I'll be seeing you when you get back," I said with a small smile.

Kneeling a little, I gave Sakura a one armed hug, which she returned happily. Before Sasuke could avoid it, I ruffled his hair as well. He, however, was quicker. As soon as I ruffled his hair, he swatted my hand away. Kakashi was the hardest person to say goodbye to. A handshake would be too stiff, I was too short for a normal one armed hug, and a regular hug seemed too weird. _**Ah, what the hell...**_ I shrugged my shoulders once before hugging Kakashi quickly. He, like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, seemed shocked. Just as I was about to let go, he patted my back once to return the hug. I laughed and pulled away, knowing that was probably as good as I was going to get for a hug from Kakashi. Naruto laughed and ran ahead.

"Let's go!"

"What are you so excited about?" Sakura asked flatly.

"'Cause I've never left the village before!" Naruto replied excitedly, shaking his head from left to right, trying to take in all of the sights around him.

"...Hey, am I really going to be safe with this brat?" Tazuna demanded, pointing at Naruto.

Kakashi laughed nervously. "Well, I am a Jonin, so don't worry..."

"Hey, old man! Don't mess with ninjas!" Naruto yelled, whipping around to face Tazuna. "I'm incredible! One day, I will take on the super elite ninja title of Hokage! My name is Uzumaki Naruto, remember it!"

"Hokage is this village's number one ninja, right? I doubt someone like you could become it..." Tazuna said doubtfully as he took another swig from his bottle.

"Shut up! I am prepared to do anything to become Hokage! Once I become Hokage you will acknowledge me!"

Tazuna paused mid-drink. "No, I won't, you brat. Even if you did become Hokage..."

"I'll kill you!" Naruto yelled, leaping for the bridge builder, only to be held back by Kakashi again.

I laughed and walked away after hearing Kakashi call Naruto a moron._** Even with Naruto's attitude, they're going to be just fine... **__Us being fine is a different thing, though._ I sighed heavily before nodding. _**Yes... We're certainly going to have some trouble, but if those four are with us, I believe we'll be just fine!**_ That positive thinking was probably making Yami sick but I didn't care. I laughed again when I heard Yami coughing, which made me think he was really getting sick at my positive thinking. I smirked in satisfaction before I ran to the Academy, determined to get my first solo mission done right.

* * *

*Okay, I'm pretty sure this isn't the first mission that Team 7 was assigned, there was probably a time skip between this mission and from the time of Kakashi's test, but I'm just going to guess.


End file.
